John Wesley is a well-known name among Christians, and with many a good reason. Although there is much within his theology with which I am at odds, he was a tireless servant of Christ and His Church until his death at age 87. That he should serve long and well is really no surprise, for one of the most “famous” quotes of this preacher, evangelist and reformer summed up his penchant for living with an eye toward service:
Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.
Of course, such an approach to life is not limited to those who are among the body of Christ, and who are seeking to speak in His name. In a very secular sense, President Theodore Roosevelt once said in a speech, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” It was good advice for the citizens of a growing country, and it did form the outlook of many Americans for a long time.
In fact, looking through some older writings recently, I came across the following choice tidbit: “Arnold Billie is a rural mail carrier in southern New Jersey. For the last quarter century his daily route has taken him sixty-three miles through two counties and five municipalities. Mr. Billie not only delivers mail, he brings personal service. Anything you can get at the post office you can get from Mr. Billie—stamps, money orders, and pickup service. All the customer has to do is leave the flag up on the mailbox. One elderly woman has trouble starting her lawn mower, so when she wants to use it, she leaves it by her mailbox and Mr. Billie starts it when he arrives.”
We can certainly smile at such a warm slice of Americana, can’t we? And yet, it seems we still struggle when it comes to actually living such things out ourselves —especially when it comes to life within the community of faith. Sadly, it seems that we have adopted so much of the consumer mentality of the culture around us that we often practice what we don’t preach! Our lips say that we attend to worship and fellowship and the teaching of the Word because we want to glorify and become more like our Savior. But our manner of living reveals that we are often involved with a congregation merely for what we may receive. In other words, many believers interact with other Christians for what they may get, and not what they may give.
This is particularly troublesome when we recall the words of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. After all, most professing believers would quickly and readily admit that their goal and desire is to be as much like the Son of God as they can. They lay claim to a desire to grow in their ability to follow Him. But the example and words of Jesus in Mark 10:43-45 seem to fall on deaf ears. It is there that Jesus said, “whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. ”
Now, I trust you are still with me, and that if you are a regular part of Elim you will not have your hackles up over what I have written thus far. In all honesty, I can say that as pastor of this church I am often blessed by the good number of people we have who do, in fact, seek to be servants of one another. Our congregation is blessed with people, young and not-so-young alike, who look out for one another’s needs, who help with life’s problems (big and small), and who want nothing more than to give glory to the Lord.
But we can do better.
There are still far more needs than people willing to fill those needs. Our youngest folks could still use some new faces to care for them in the nursery during services. Others would benefit so greatly from those who would be willing to come alongside their parents and teach God’s Word to them in different venues. Speaking of parents, there are a good number of young mothers who could use a mentor and a friend. And on it goes. When a person decides to care for the facility or make a phone call to an absent member or visit a shut-in without the prompting of a program that forces them to do so, all of the church is blessed because her people are striving to act like Christ.
Not only so, but the person who selflessly serves also benefits. Don’t miss the first part of Jesus’ words that I quoted before. He said that whomever would serve in this way would actually be considered as great in the eyes of God. Now, what greater benefit could anyone hope for other than that?!
Again, please know that I am not chiding with this article. No, rather I seek to be challenging. It is fitting and right that, alongside being known as a church where the Word of God is taken seriously and taught consistently, that we also be known as a church where the Word of God is lived out daily. To that end, let me offer the following quote from the author of the hymns “Take My Life and Let It Be” and “Like A River Glorious.” With regard as to how to be ready for deeds of service, France Havergal wrote,
Begin at once; before you venture away from this quiet moment, ask your King to take you wholly into his service, and place all the hours of this day quite simply at his disposal, and ask him to make and keep you ready to do just exactly what he appoints. Never mind about tomorrow; one day at a time is enough. Try it today, and see if it is not a day of strange, almost curious peace, so sweet that you will be only too thankful when tomorrow comes to ask him to take it also.
Posted on May 1st, 2008 by Pastor Larry
Filed under: Elim Refresher Newsletter, From the Pastor’s Pen
