Working toward joy

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. –1 John 3:18 (NIV)

Teaching on the topic of service often fails to hit the mark. Part of the audience is already doing more than could reasonably be expected of them, yet feel guilty they aren’t doing more. Another segment of the crowd is committed to doing the bare minimum required, and quickly rationalizes all the reasons this particular lesson doesn’t apply to them. Let’s spend a few minutes to clarify our thinking around God’s business, which ought not be confused with busy-ness.

Jesus modeled service. His entire mission was for the benefit of others. Yet He never seemed to be in a hurry. When the Scriptures call us to service, Jesus isn’t asking us to go anywhere He has not already been. Whatever we do for others, we do for Him. Service rendered in love is just us following our Master.

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. –John 13:12-17 (NIV)

That said, we get in trouble when we over-commit. “No” can be one of the kindest words we say. I have been one of those Christians who felt duty-bound to say “yes” to everything. The result was burnout, resentment, a bad attitude – about as far from Christ-likeness as I could get. The blessing was stolen, both from me and the person I was serving. Obviously, there are urgent needs that require immediate attention. We cannot ignore those. But in general, intentionality is a good thing.

I know a man who has made a ministry of encouraging and mentoring other men on a regular basis. Rather than trust himself to “find time” for that and figure out who to contact on a given day, he sets aside specific times and works from a spreadsheet where he rotates through names of people he wants to keep up with. If the Spirit is laying someone on his heart, they’ll go to the front of the line, but otherwise he is using a tool to be intentional about making those connections. That allows him to pace himself and enjoy the interactions he has with each person on his list.

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. –2 Corinthians 9:7-8 (NIV)

It’s beneficial to review our activities periodically. Over time, we can become involved in a number of things that are no longer needed, could be done by someone else, or have become stale for us. There is a sweet spot where passion, skill, and opportunity intersect. When we find that spot, service is a joy, not a chore. It’s worth remembering that God does not need our help to accomplish His purposes. He invites us into His work for our benefit, not His.

Paul tells us that God prepares those good works ahead of our arrival. Think of a time when you were teaching someone to do a job. Maybe it was a student, an employee, or your son or daughter. It took planning and effort to lay out the work, prep the tools, provide instruction, supervise the task, and review the result with the person. It would have been quicker, and probably easier, to do the job yourself. But they would have missed the blessing of learning the skill and accomplishing the task. And you would have missed the blessing of watching them grow. That’s the investment God is making in us. Have fun with it!

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. –Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

Scott Thompson