For consider
your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh,
not many mighty, not many noble; (I
Corinthians 1:26 NASB)
We all want to be significant, and we are all important in the
eyes of our Creator. The problem is that
we often seek our worth through the eyes of man. God uses ordinary people with hearts inclined
toward His.
One Sunday I was asked to speak at a small church near my home
in Virginia. A man greeted me upon
arrival at the Church who then let me into the building. In small churches, you
often have a pastor who does the preaching and the teaching and then an elder
or deacon who does everything else. I
sat down at the back of the church to review my notes for my sermon. The man
busily went about making the coffee and setting out the snacks. He then took a small broom and a dustpan and
proceeded to sweep-up between the rows of chairs setup for the service. As I watched this man, a question came into
my mind. Lord, who is more valuable today for this service, him or me? As I pondered this thought, the answer became
clear to me. Neither, we had equal value just a different function. I asked the Lord a second question. Lord, who is most pleasing to you? The answer to the second question came quicker
than the first. The one who does their
part of the service with the greatest amount of love in their heart for God.
Sometimes we confuse value and function. We do not get value from what we do; we bring
value to our work. Each individual has
intrinsic value before God. Billy Graham
and Pat Roberson have a greater function in the Body of Christ than I do. Therefore, in some areas they have greater
privilege. Jesus gave Peter, James, and
John greater access to Himself, not because he valued them more, but that they
would have a more significant role in the Kingdom of God. He loved all his disciples equally.
We often make the mistake of trying to win the Lord’s approval
by how we preform before man. People
pleasers never end up as God pleasers. This is an exercise in futility. We
don’t need to strive for what we already have. What does impress the Lord? It’s not the height or even the breath of our
task, but the depth of our love, that motivates us to serve that catches the
eye of the Father. It is not how we serve
but why that gets His attention. Is it
done out of a motivation of love? Those
who serve around a church in roles that do not bring a lot of public applause
just may be God’s heroes. Remember there are not many wise, mighty, or noble. The next time you walk past one setting up
chairs in you Church without taking notice, you may have missed an opportunity
to interact with one of God’s chosen servants.
That day when I spoke in that Church the most honored servant may not
have been the one in the pulpit but the one sweeping the floor.
Image used with permission by Microsoft.
Ken
Barnes the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places” YWAM Publishing
Email: kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website: https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/
Email: kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website: https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/
Podcasts: http://kensblogpodcast.blogspot.com
No comments :
Post a Comment