Dean Butler

At 3:30 Sunday morning, I sat in my home in Wyoming, looking at a group of believers gathered in a small village in Kenya, Africa. Through Facebook Messenger, I shared a Bible lesson while a man named Job translated my words. I could see their faces, hear their “Amens,” and watch them clap their hands. It was an experience I will never forget. What made it even more humbling was knowing these people had stayed beyond their regular mealtime, even though some were hungry, because they wanted to hear God's word.

As I thought about that experience, I remembered how this journey began with one little newspaper column. When I first saw the words God had placed on my heart printed in our local newspaper, I felt incredibly blessed. I wasn't looking for a ministry. I wasn't trying to become a writer or reach people around the world. I simply thanked God for the opportunity and asked him to bless what I wrote.

Then another opportunity came along, followed by another. I began writing a Bible blog, which eventually grew to around 800 essays. A few books followed. Then other newspapers began carrying my column. More books came along, bringing the total to seven. None of this was part of my plan. I simply tried to follow where God was leading.

The apostle Paul's words in 1 Timothy 1:12 express how I feel: “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service.” I don't compare myself with Paul, but I understand his thankfulness for being given the opportunity to serve the Lord.

Then I discovered something that surprised me. People in Kenya were using Bible lessons I shared on Facebook to teach others about Jesus Christ. That discovery led me to create The Other Side of Amen website, where people anywhere in the world could freely read and use these lessons.

Since then, more doors have opened. Through Facebook, I became acquainted with Job and his group in Kenya. I also became involved with Clara's ministry, which helps provide Christian teaching materials to people who need them. Another opportunity came through prison ministry, providing Bible lessons for those behind bars. And then came that early morning meeting in Kenya. As I explained Matthew 6:33, teaching what it means to seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness, I could hardly believe what I was experiencing.

Jesus said in Luke 16:10, “The one who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much.” God asks us to be faithful with what he places before us. That doesn't mean every faithful believer will receive a larger ministry. Some of God's most faithful servants work quietly, unseen by the world.

Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:7: “So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.” Looking back, I am amazed at what God has allowed to happen in such a short time. I take no credit for the doors he has opened. I am simply thankful he allowed me to walk through them.

Perhaps God has placed a small opportunity before you. Don't overlook it because it seems unimportant. Trust him, obey his word, and leave the results in his hands. I never imagined where God would lead me, and I still don't know what tomorrow holds. But I know the one who does.

(Dean Butler is a faith-based writer and Bible teacher based in Newcastle.)