God is not looking for capability, but availability
Chapters 3 and 4 of the book of Exodus record the conversation between Moses and the Lord after the Lord’s call to Moses to deliver the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt. Moses initially responds by presenting objections to the Lord’s call on the basis of his inability to meet the requirements of the task.
The Lord then asks “What is that in thine hand?” and Moses answers, “A rod”. The answer suggests that perhaps there was more to the Lord’s question than Moses appreciated. It suggests that Moses believed that he was holding a mere stick, something common, almost worthless, and which Moses had probably found on, and picked up from, the ground.
It was, of course, this same rod which Moses wielded when he stretched out his hand at the time of the parting of the Red Sea, and which was used to strike the rock that brought forth in the wilderness rivers of water sufficient to satisfy the population and cattle of an entire nation, and which ultimately rested within the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies.
The question which the Lord asked Moses is the same one which, only a few years ago, the Lord posed to many of us in a message that we heard the day we made the decision to join the SLAM ministry. What is that in thine hand?
The message is that God is capable of using for His glory something which is apparently useless, provided that it is made available for Him. God is only concerned with one’s preparedness to give to Him what one has, regardless of how little it is.
Consider also the answers which were provided to Elisha’s question to the widow, “What hast thou in the house?” (see 2 Kings 4:2) and to the Lord’s question to His disciples, “How many loaves have ye?” (see Mark 6:38).
The friend for sinners
The Lord Jesus made known His love in a much more apparent way to those who at the time of His incarnation were openly rejected by society. He therefore earned the title “friend for sinners”. When asked by those who were self-righteous why he would closely associate Himself with this class of society, the Lord responded that He had come for sinners, not the righteous (see Luke 5:31-31 and parallel passages).
This does not mean that at this time there were some who were not sinners. It means that the Lord came for those who were prepared to confess their sinfulness and those who were publicly held out by society as sinners.
Likewise, the SLAM ministry is about presenting the gospel to those who are perceived by others as having committed things which will perhaps forever significantly diminish their prospects of being accepted by society, and who are prepared to admit that they have done wrong.
A typical day There are about 9 to 10 visits in the year. A visit is always on a Saturday morning and is typically structured as follows:
15 to 20 minutes for devotion and prayer at the gates of the prison;
10 to 15 minutes for completing forms and dealing with officials on entry into the prison;
1 hour for playing (usually) soccer with the inmates;
20 to 30 minutes for sharing a testimony and presenting the gospel message;
5 to 10 minutes for talking with the inmates and handing tracts;
10 minutes for exiting the prison; and lunch.
If you want to know more Around the beginning of each year a meeting is held for current and prospective SLAM members for the purpose of reflecting on the past year, hearing from God’s word, and then completing the prison clearance forms for the upcoming year and signing them in the presence of a prison official.
If clearance forms are not completed on this day, it is very difficult to arrange for them to be completed and processed at a later time. Therefore even if you are unsure about whether you will be coming to any of the prison visits scheduled for 2012, it is critical that you attend this meeting and complete the clearance forms just in case you later decide that you are able to make it to one or more of the scheduled visits.
Lord willing, the meeting for the year 2012 will be on 21 January 2012 at 9:30am at Faith Baptist Church, 32-34 Princes Road East, Regents Park (or Auburn for some GPS instruments). Of course, if you have any questions feel free to speak to anyone you know to be a SLAM member,
