My brothers and sisters, we are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness. Be they family members, friends, acquaintances, or strangers, we are the Lord's hands here upon the earth with a mandate to serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us. How many times has your heart been touched as you have witnessed the need of another? How often have you intended to be the one to help, and yet how often has day-to-day living interfered, and you've left it for others to help? We become so caught up in the busyness of our lives. Were we to step backward, however, and take a good look at what we're doing, we may find that we've immersed ourselves in the thick of thin things. May the words of a familiar hymn penetrate our very souls and find lodgement in our hearts. Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need? Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad? If not, I've failed indeed. Has anyone's burden been lighter today because I was willing to share? Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way? When they needed my help, was I there?

That service to which all of us have been called is the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. As He enlists us to His cause, He invites us to draw close to Him. If we truly listen, we may hear that voice from far away say to us as it spoke to another, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."