Aim High By Bending Low

• We will be blessed if we do. (17) The blessing isn’t in knowing as much as it is in doing. But one would think, ‘how much blessing could there be in doing menial service? We might be programmed to think the true blessing comes only when we do something significant that gets praised so we seek to do only high and lofty things for Jesus. But in that we fail to see the value in humble service. Being a garbage collector isn’t a glamorous or remarkable profession; it’s not highly acclaimed. It’s not going to be rewarded with plaques and certificates. However, as unimportant and insignificant as this profession may seem in the whole scheme of things, consider how important it becomes when this job doesn’t get done. NYC has had some legendary garbage strikes as well as other parts of the country and the world. It probably wouldn’t take too long of dealing with the smell, the rats, the cockroaches, and everything else that comes with the accumulation of garbage in the sidewalks and streets before the ‘lowly’ job of sanitation worker is duly recognized and greatly appreciated [bathroom]. Many of us are willing to do the acts of service that get recognized and applauded but how many of us are willing to do the ones that may get overlooked? Anything Jesus asks us to do in honorable, significant and important because we’re doing it for him. Now that we know that we need to be humble servants, we need to be willing to do whatever is asked of us by Jesus, who was willing himself, so that we will be blessed. We will be blessed in knowing we’ve been obedient. We’ll be blessed by those who appreciate our service. We’ll be blessed by the lost who see Jesus lived out in our service and are drawn in by our example. Matthew 5:14-16 states “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Every deed done for the glory of God is a good deed. Aim high by bending low.

• Bending low is rewarding. When Wycliffe Bible translator Doug Meland and his wife moved into a village of Brazil's Fulnio Indians, he was referred to simply as "the white man." The term was by no means complimentary since other white men had exploited them, burned their homes, and robbed them of their lands. But after the Melands learned the Fulnio language and began to help the people with medicine and in other ways, they began calling Doug "the respectable white man." When the Melands began adopting the customs of the people, the Fulnio gave them greater acceptance and spoke of Doug as "the white Indian." Then one day, as Doug was washing the dirty, blood-caked foot of an injured Fulnio boy, he overheard a bystander say to another, "Whoever heard of a white man washing an Indian's foot before? Certainly this man is from God!" From that day on, whenever Doug would go into an Indian home, it would be announced, "Here comes the man God sent us." 1st Cor. 15:58, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” All of our labor, however meek and lowly, profits much. We can accomplish a lot in life. There are many wonder fields and trades we can work in to make considerable contributions to society. But no matter what you choose as a career, your greatest impact will be what you do for Jesus. Every Christian should seek to be used in some capacity for ministry work. God has arranged all the parts in the body to do whatever their function is for the advancement of the Christian faith. Whatever we do for a living pays certain dividends. Only what we do for Jesus pays eternal dividends. You can’t put a price tag on something with eternal value. A wealthy American traveler was visiting a hospital in Southeast Asia. He entered just as a young missionary nurse was cleaning the sores of a sick, dirty, elderly man who had been lying in a gutter. The wealthy man said to the nurse, “I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars.” She turned and answered quietly but firmly, “Neither would I.” We aim high when we are willing to bend low.