Dear Friends,
It is true that leadership has more to do with service then
status, for "humble work becomes holy work when it's done for God."
As part of our hospitality ministry when I served on staff at
Calvary Chapel, Fort Lauderdale, the pastors would meet to pray before the
services. We would pray something like this: "Lord help us have your eyes,
ears, and heart that we might see, and hear, and feel as you see, hear, and
feel and help us to be available for whatever ministry you might have in store
for us this day."
And so often, as we would go forth in the spirit of this prayer,
God would surprise us by providing opportunities to minister to people in ways
we had never anticipated. Whether praying with a person at the altar after
service, helping someone who had lost some money in the soda machine, or
walking with the visitor rather than directing them to the sanctuary or the
nursery, we would discover that serving in such menial ways would often open
the door for greater ministry.
Saint John of the Cross, a 16th century mystic said it so well:
"A Christian should always remember the value of his good works is not based
on their number and excellence, (and I would add their outward
significance) but on the love of God which prompts him to do these things.
Little things become big things when they are done in the spirit of love."
When I think of people in the Bible who possessed servant's heart,
I think of a little-known servant named Onesiphorus. Paul is in prison and his
good friend Onesiphorus is searching for him. Paul writes, "May the Lord
show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me
and was not ashamed of my chains, On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he
searched hard for me until he found me" (2 Timothy 1:16-18).
As I read these verses, I could almost feel the beat of
Onesiphorus's heart as he searched hard for his good friend. Some
translations use the words, "eagerly searched," which convey the idea
of intensity and determination. He was not to be thwarted in his effort to find
his beloved friend and prisoner, Paul.
I close with the words of D. L. Moody who wrote: "A good many
are kept out of service for Christ because they are trying to do some great
thing. Let us be willing to do little things. And let us remember that nothing
is small in which God is the source."
So, grab your basin and begin serving. It might not be washing
feet, but instead it might be something as simple as holding a hand, shedding a
tear, making a meal, or offering a listening ear. Show me just such a person,
and I will show you a person with a servant's heart, and one who brings great
joy to the Master.
Yours in faith and friendship,
Tom
No comments:
Post a Comment