PLODDING FOR GOD!

1 Corinthians 4:1-7

INTRODUCTION: Often the most influential people in our lives are not people of great or unusual abilities. They are the people who continued to plod along in our lives and do exactly what the Lord intended for them to do in our lives. It doesn’t matter whether being a great parent, teacher, preacher or ball player, one trait that we all need to be successful is reliability! Reliability is one of the major ingredients behind marriages that have a golden anniversary. Being reliable may not bring about momentary greatness, but it does lead to lives that make a huge difference.

I. NOT SUPER STARS; JUST FAITHFUL SERVANTS!

The Bible has many examples of men and women that were not super stars but just kept faithfully serving God by serving God’s people. These were people who felt deeply within themselves that they had been called by none other than God Himself to service. These men and women became reliable servants who were unaffected by their own moods, the difficult trail God had called them to or the darkness that often crossed their paths. Rather than trying to be spectacular they simply set out to be faithful in whatever their Lord had called them to do. These plodders saw themselves as servants, not lords. Andrew, Peter’s brother was never the center of attention, but without his calling Peter to the Lord, Peter might have just stayed a fisherman. We don’t hear much in the Bible about Andrew but every time we do hear about him he is bringing someone to meet with Jesus: John 1:35-42; John 6:1-9; John 12:20-22; Mark 1:16-18.

II. A MAN PLODDING FOR HIS GOD!

Epaphroditus was also one of God’s plodders. Even though we have trouble pronouncing even his name; the apostle Paul would have had no trouble describing him as a brother, fellow soldier, and friend. You get those kinds of names because you have been faithful over time. Paul’s greatest praise for Epaphroditus is found in Philippians 2:25-30. The apostle Paul knew from experience what it costs to be a plodder for God and he took special note of this brother and co-worker who was so faithful to his Master.

III. WOMEN WHO PLODDED FOR THEIR GOD!

And then there is a wonderful older woman who for years was not a big name, but simply a faithful servant of God, Anna. When Anna saw her Lord she recognized Him immediately. How did she realize the baby before her was the Son of God when so many others missed it entirely Anna had been praying for eight decades about this very day: Luke 2:36-38. Reliable would certainly be a word you could use to describe Anna. Although only mentioned one time in the Bible; God found her faithful. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2. Another young lady that proved faithful was just a little girl when she was taken as a slave to a far-off country. There wasn’t anything special about this little girl reported except she knew her God and His prophet who could heal. In God’s economy we often find little children who know God leading adults to God’s plan for their lives: 2 Kings 5:1-6. Just a little girl, but every faithful servant of God started at some point in their lives to choose to be faithful plodders for their God. Have you started to pod for your God yet? Are you plodding for God over the years and bringing others to Christ? We all need to thank those faithful plodders who have cleared a path for us to follow. You may have thought no one noticed, but God did: Revelations 14:13; Hebrews 6:10-12.