The Ditchdigger
By Jeremy M. Caverley
I want to be a ditchdigger for Jesus.
Before sowing seeds, one must first dig holes.
People can be planters of seeds and/or they can be tenders of the seeds, making sure the seeds are watered. Of course, there are those who are harvesters. But unless someone first digs the rows or ditches to plant the seeds, all the other jobs are put on hold.
At times, God will call us to do different tasks in order to share the gospel and love of Christ.
Sometimes we are called to be the ditchdigger – a humble, nameless, faceless person who many may not see but still receive a blessing from His work.
That is the ditchdigger!
We can read in the Old Testament how Solomon built the temple, but Solomon on his own did not build that temple.
Preparations for Building the Temple
Solomon gave orders to build a temple for the name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself. He conscripted 70,000 men as carriers and 80,000 as stonecutters in the hills and 3,600 as foremen over them. – Chronicles 2:1-2
To begin to build the temple, first the ground had to be prepared. Lots of people had to dig the foundation for the stones to sit on. There would not have been a temple without the ditchdiggers. Yet, we do not know the names of the people who helped build the temple. We only know that Solomon takes the credit for building it.
And today, the ditchdiggers press on in their work for the Lord. They are the janitors, maintenance workers, house cleaners, and other laborers not seeking the spotlight who quietly do their work… and pray for others, give to others, and serve in the name of Jesus.
Often, you do not see these people working, but you enjoy the blessings from their labors. They are the ditchdiggers of the 21st Century Church.
Jesus Sends Out the 72
Jesus sent out the original people who prepared the way. Those 72 were the original ditchdiggers as found in Luke.
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. – Luke 10:1
Can we imitate the 72 or any of the modern-day humble people serving behind the scenes? What causes us to be hesitant to serve, or give, or volunteer?
The answer is our flesh, the sinful nature of us humans in need of a savior. Jesus Christ is the antidote. On our own we do not operate simply by wanting to serve our Lord and savior Jesus. We need to be born again.
For those of us who are saved, the seasons of our lives are ever changing. A person cannot always be in the forefront of ministry. Jesus said that the first would be last and the last would be first.
But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. – Matthew 19:30
Let us all strive to be ditchdiggers for Jesus in order to serve our Lord with all our heart, mind, and soul!
JMC Ministries is the husband-and-wife team of Jeremy and Miranda Caverley. Jeremy and his wife spread the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ through music, speaking, preaching, and the online show JMC LIVE.