service

February 6 – Playing Second Fiddle

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I heard a story once of a man who would travel to towns where a well-known evangelist of the time was scheduled to have a series of meetings.

It was said that this man would cover his own expenses for days on end just to pray in his hotel room, morning and evening for the will of the Lord to be done in that town. When the evangelist arrived, the man moved on to the next town.

It wasn’t important to him that people knew his name or even why he came. What mattered most was that he fulfilled what the Lord had given him to do.

This morning, I just had a conversation with one of my “extroverted” children. He isn’t bashful and loves to be in the center of the action. And at times, his desire to be the front guy takes precedence over just taking out the trash. But taking out the trash and picking up the random pieces of paper on the way to the dumpster qualifies us for greater tasks ahead.

That doesn’t mean that if God calls upon us to pick up trash for Him the rest of our days that we are lesser than the dignitaries who travel after us on clean streets.

On the contrary, it means we know how to be willing and obedient to the leading of the Master. In my estimation, maturity is reached when His kingdom coming and His will being done means more to us than fame, fortune or even a great name.

May the Lord help us rejoice in our lot, our spots of service, whether bottom or top in the eyes of the world. May our gaze rest on what He sees and not on our own need for value and validation.

And at the end of the day, may we hear His voice alone say, “You done good, my child, you done real good. Well done!”

 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.” These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan where John was baptizing. John 1:24-28

 Biblical Meditation: 1 Timothy 6:6 [And it is, indeed, a source of immense profit, for] godliness accompanied with contentment (that contentment which is a sense of inward sufficiency) is great and abundant gain.

 

October 17 – What a Way to Live

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There are those who [generously] scatter abroad, and yet increase more; there are those who withhold more than is fitting or what is justly due, but it results only in want. Proverbs 11:24 AMP

We have a special place we love to eat on an occasional date. It has great Mexican food and even greater service. Out here in western Oklahoma, we treasure our good restaurants (they can be few and far between).

Our favorite waitress is there almost every time we go. She is raising a couple of sweet children and working hard for their future. Her story always stays with us, long after the meal is over.

Every person crosses our path for a reason. It would be tragic to miss those moments to give, wherever and whenever the occasion arises. Our waitress touches our heart time and again with her giving service, but at the same time, we are moved to give back to her. If we’re able, we want our tip to be big and our smiles even bigger.

“Paying it forward” isn’t just a new-fangled idea from a Hollywood movie. It’s an age-old principle from the Word of God. It’s how God works and it’s how our lives can work if we live and move by His direction.

If we live by how we give, the next blessing is always around the corner.

October 3 – Grandora

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The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning (the chief and choice part) of Wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight and understanding. Proverbs 9:10 AMP

In my opinion, the beginning of wisdom is knowing that God loves you and me and He’s not mad at us. Even though our actions and our attitudes might warrant His righteous judgment, He grants us grace. For that, He is worthy of our respect and adoration.

On that note, time has proven to me that I get a whole lot more wisdom out of wise people when I value their time, their service, and their insight instead of taking them for granted.

“Grandora” was a great example of wisdom personified. In her nineties, when she went home to be with the Lord, she was dear to our family by then for many years. By her own admission, she was bossy, headstrong, and independent. But this dear soul knew the Lord intimately and longed to introduce every one she could to His love, mercy and grace.

Along the time she came into my life, there were many others who had the same opportunity to mine out the boundless treasures she possessed, but were unwilling to look past the rough edges on the surface to get the good stuff on the inside. Only by the grace of God did I begin to see it. I was so hungry for the wisdom she walked in, I gave her my solemn respect and adoration and in return, she left me and my family with holy insights that will last us for generations.

In a nutshell, that’s what the God-walk is all about. Respect and adoration of our Father and Creator. Not because He heals us or gives us what we think we need at a moment’s notice. But because He is and He knows. Period.

For Him, I have learned, that kind of attitude is undeniable. And like Grandora, He will fill to the full those who adore Him with all the wisdom and understanding their little hearts can hold…He will not deny!