Me, me, me.  Life more and more seems to be about me.  Not as in me, Bryan, but in me, myself and I.  Look around in the world and you’ll see what I mean.  When we go out to eat we are waited on, when we stay in a hotel our room is cleaned.  Salespeople help us at the store, not only in deciding what to buy, but then they take our money as well.  Notice I said “our” money and not God’s money.  We can even have someone bring pizza to our front door.  We can be waited on in almost every way in life.  So it shouldn’t be any wonder that it’s harder and harder to get people to serve others.  The struggle is that it’s NOT ABOUT ME when I’m serving others, yet the single most transforming thing in a person’s life happens when they make a commitment to serve others.  It’s like exercising.  I know if I do it, I will feel better but I just can’t get started.  Or dieting, I know if I eat right, at the end of the diet I will feel better but I just can’t stay on it.  I think there are several reasons why we don’t serve others more, and I don’t mean the occasional once or twice a year just to feel better kind of serving, but the everyday, every week kind of serving. 

One, we live in a SELF-serve brain-washed world as I pointed out before.  Two, we don’t believe Jesus, in his way-of-life example and we certainly don’t believe in what he says will be our reward.  Oh, I know we say we do but unless we do it on a regular basis can we really say we believe him?  Come on now, really?, I live in the Show-Me state.  Jesus set very clear examples of his service like in John 13 when he washed his disciples’ feet.  Or how about his story of the Good Samaritan.  He also told us that service would be rewarded by separating the sheep from the goats.  In the book of Mark Jesus says “If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded. Mark 9:41 (NLT).  Third, I think fear keeps us from serving.  Fear to take our eyes off ourselves, and our wallet, to live a life of service and generosity.  I live in this fear today in my life so I totally get this.  For instance, I want to sell our house before I take a deeper plunge into service.  Really what it boils down to is not trusting in God.  Paul told Timothy 18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. 1 Timothy 6:18 (NLT).  So why am I afraid?  I think because society tells me I have to live in an upward lifestyle instead of a downward lifestyle.  I know I’ve come a long way in overcoming this fear and I believe once I fully overcome it I will be able to enjoy life like never before.

 

Something happens in our transformation in overcoming fear when we begin to take our eyes off ourselves and choose to serve others.  In Toby Jones’ book “The Way of Jesus” it says “Service: Period! means serving others without strings attached and without piling any theology or message on top of the work we do with and for others.”  He goes on to say that “serving creates community, community for the guests, for the volunteers, for everyone who participates.  There’s something enormously powerful and uniting about Service: Period!”  I truly believe this as serving others has helped transform Amy & I.  We get to experience the “community” Toby is referring to each week through Jesus Was Homeless.  Sometimes I can get caught up in the number of volunteers, or lack of, that show up to serve.  I know people get busy with life but if we not only believe in Jesus and what he says, we have to trust that serving should be at the top of our list of things to do.  Just maybe it should be more important than the final season of Lost, mowing the yard, or even a sporting event.  Getting us “too busy” to serve is a very strategic plan of the enemy.

 

If you want to serve and can’t at your church maybe you should look for a church home that will allow you to serve in some capacity.  There is always something you can use your gifts in service for.  This gentleman found us on the internet and here is what he is doing to serve:

 

My name is David. I am 68 years old (I have a hip replacement) and I can’t do very much!  I attend Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, Calif.  I hope you will read this e-mail.  I thought it might be of some interest to you.  It shows what the Lord can do if we listen to him and then follow what he has to say!   My wife and I belong to what we call the “Red Wagon.”  The “Red Wagon”  is just a name for our church group that feeds the homeless on Mondays and Thursdays.  We feed aproximately 225 homeless people every week!   Over the years, I have prayed for something I could do for the church.  I can’t carry a tune, can’t teach, etc. Well, finally the Lord spoke to me!  As I was wrapping the forks and spoons into the napkins (Our health Dept. requires us to do this! )  the Lord told me that we are feeding the homeless food so why not give them a Bible Verse to take with them, more food!  Well, I finally found something I can do!  I print out aprox. 225 Bible Verses each week, 25 Verses, then change to a new verse!  I hand write them, using a colored marking pen.  Only three colors.  Red (Title I make up )  Blue ( The Verse )   Black ( Where found in the Bible )  I print  them on my home printer ( Copier ).  I get two on each sheet of 8.5×11 inch standard paper.  I cut them in half and wrap one in each napkin with the fork and spoon.  I have been doing this for about six months and so far, no one has thrown them away!  One lady found hers.  She had accidently thrown it away with her napkin.  She says she saves all of them!  This is something simple that anyone can do.  Maybe you know someone that wants to serve the Lord and doesn’t  know what to do.  By taking the first step which was joing the ” Red Wagon,” the Lord showed me what I can do!  I AM REALLY BLESSED!!!
Thanks for reading this e-mail.  I hope you enjoyed it!
 
God bless You!  – David
                                                 
PS:  I will share this with anyone who is interested in serving the Lord in this manner.   Please have them e-mail me. [email protected] If you want to serve with us, you’re always welcome.  If you want to just do “something” and don’t know what, we’ll be glad to brainstorm ideas with you.  If you’re not sure about us then I invite you to “Come and See”.