Jim Mann
After he left there, he came upon Jehonadab, son of Recab, who was on his way to meet him. Jehu greeted him and said, “Are you in accord with me, as I am with you?” “I am,” Jehonadab answered. “If so,” said Jehu, “give me your hand.” So, he did, and Jehu helped him up into the chariot. (2 Kings 10:15)
The other day, I saw a bumper sticker that read, “My child is an ordinary student at Wilson Elementary.” Not really. No one wants to be ordinary.
No, for us, life has to count. We must leave our mark, a legacy. We have to somehow live up to our Facebook posts!
We’ve come to believe that the uber-smart, wealthy Ivy-Leaguers in Washington will solve our problems. Or that the clergy we hire will solve our problems. But the more trips around the sun I make, the less I believe our solutions will be found by the “experts.”
President Ronald Reagan once said that change begins at the dinner table. He understood that change comes from us ordinary people, and it starts at home.
Jehonadab, mentioned above, was just an ordinary man. Many of you Bible readers may not have heard of him before. But Jeremiah the prophet would say of him, “Therefore, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jehonadab, son of Recab, will never fail to have a man to serve me.’” (Jeremiah 35:19)
God had a project for Jehonadab, and this ordinary man answered, “You can count on me.” In this way, Jehonadab is a lot like one of my favorite New Testament characters, Simon from Cyrene. Simon was in Jerusalem for the Passover when Jesus was crucified. On the way to Golgotha, when Jesus fell, Simon carried Jesus’ cross for him. Simon just happened to be passing by. He had strong arms and a strong back. And he used those gifts for Jesus. I want my answer to the Lord to always be … “Whatever gift I have, Lord, you can count on me!”
Ordinary is the new radical.
God doesn’t call the equipped; He equips the called. If you’ve ever wondered whether ordinary folks like you and I can make a difference in this world, Jehonadab and Simon remind us that we can.
I’ll see you in church!
Jim Mann, Ph.D., pastors New Life Church at Robson Ranch. This interdenominational church meets at the Robson clubhouse on Sunday mornings at 8:30 a.m. and online at 10 a.m. Visit www.newlifedenton.org for more information, or visit his blog at www.drjimmann.com.