You, my friend, are important

I was reading in 1 Chronicles last night, and came across the passage that described the leaders of King David's army divisions, and you read something like this:

The third army commander, for the third month, was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest. He was chief and there were 24,000 men in his division. This was the Benaiah who was a mighty man among the Thirty and was over the Thirty. His son Ammizabad was in charge of his division. -1 Chron 27:5-6

Now, I read this and I can't help but think, "How cool would it be to be known as a Mighty Man and to lead an army division?" I mean, clearly God used Benaiah to glorify Himself.

But then, later in the chapter, we see verses like these:

Baal-Hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore-fig trees in the western foothills. Joash was in charge of the supplies of olive oil.... Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels. Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys. -1 Chron 27:28,30

Huh? Olive oil? Camels? Really, David needed someone to be in charge of the Olive oil? But there they are, listed right alongside the "Mighty Men." Wow, how embarassing to be the guy over the donkeys.

But wait, look down just a bit further, to chapter 28:

David summoned all the officials of Israel to assemble at Jerusalem: the officers over the tribes, the commanders of the divisions in the service of the king, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the mighty men and all the brave warriors.

King David rose to his feet and said: "Listen to me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it. But God said to me, 'You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood....'

"So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever." -1 Chron 28:1-3,8

What? Mighty men, brave warriors, and keepers of donkeys together in the same place. All called together by David (really by God, through David) to follow His commands and accomplish His purposes. Olive oil man and Mighty Man working together to build the temple. Each one needed to accomplish the task at hand, each one's role important in the eyes of the Lord.

And so it is with you in the church. You may be a toddler teacher, or an usher, or a person who serves coffee at the cafe, or a guitar player. But you are not just that. And, please, never say you're, "Just a volunteer." You are an instrument of the Most High God, created by him and made for a purpose- His purpose- and by serving, even in a role that seems small and unimportant, you are bringing His kingdome here. And that, my friend, is important work. Even if, to you, it's just minding the olive oil.

Peace