“Like a Girl”
Part 3 – Serve Like A Girl
I. Introduction
You may have missed the start of this series called “Like a Girl!” I reminded you that most of us of have heard or used the phrase “like a girl” as an insult. I have been reevaluating this phrase as a challenge. So, I have challenged you to “Fight Like a Girl!” and to “Pray Like a Girl!”
This morning I want to challenge you on this birthday celebration morning to “Serve Like A Girl!”
II. Text
Genesis 24:1-23
1 Abraham was now an old man. GOD had blessed Abraham in every way.
2-4 Abraham spoke to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of everything he had, "Put your hand under my thigh and swear by GOD—God of Heaven, God of Earth—that you will not get a wife for my son from among the young women of the Canaanites here, but will go to the land of my birth and get a wife for my son Isaac."
5 The servant answered, "But what if the woman refuses to leave home and come with me? Do I then take your son back to your home country?"
6-8 Abraham said, "Oh no. Never. By no means are you to take my son back there. GOD, the God of Heaven, took me from the home of my father and from the country of my birth and spoke to me in solemn promise, ’I’m giving this land to your descendants.’ This God will send his angel ahead of you to get a wife for my son. And if the woman won’t come, you are free from this oath you’ve sworn to me. But under no circumstances are you to take my son back there." (something here about refusing to leave children behind or let them go back)
9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn oath.
10-14 The servant took ten of his master’s camels and, loaded with gifts from his master, traveled to Aram Naharaim and the city of Nahor. Outside the city, he made the camels kneel at a well. It was evening, the time when the women came to draw water. He prayed, "O GOD, God of my master Abraham, make things go smoothly this day; treat my master Abraham well! As I stand here by the spring while the young women of the town come out to get water, let the girl to whom I say, ’Lower your jug and give me a drink,’ and who answers, ’Drink, and let me also water your camels’—let her be the woman you have picked out for your servant Isaac. Then I’ll know that you’re working graciously behind the scenes for my master."
15-17 It so happened that the words were barely out of his mouth when Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel whose mother was Milcah the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with a water jug on her shoulder. The girl was stunningly beautiful, a pure virgin. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. The servant ran to meet her and said, "Please, can I have a sip of water from your jug?"
18-21 She said, "Certainly, drink!" And she held the jug so that he could drink. When he had satisfied his thirst she said, "I’ll get water for your camels, too, until they’ve drunk their fill." She promptly emptied her jug into the trough and ran back to the well to fill it, and she kept at it until she had watered all the camels.
The man watched, silent. Was this GOD’s answer? Had GOD made his trip a success or not? (Don’t tell anyone but men can be slow sometimes!)
22-23 When the camels had finished drinking, the man brought out gifts, a gold nose ring weighing a little over a quarter of an ounce and two arm bracelets weighing about four ounces, and gave them to her.
III. Girl Lessons
a. Girl served with excellence.
Want you to get the picture of what Rebekah did. It was the time of the day that the young women would come to draw water. On this particular day Rebekah did what was customary. She didn’t do anything special. She did exactly what every other person would have done. She met a man at the well who had been traveling and offered him a drink. But notice that Rebekah went one step further and exemplified the trait that marks her as extraordinary. What set Rebekah apart was a spirit of excellence. She went above and beyond the normal, customary expectations and duties. She went beyond what was written in her job description. How did Rebekah exhibit excellence? She not only offered the servant a drink, but out of her spirit of excellence and service, she also drew water for every camel.
She wasn’t required to do this. She was promised no tip or no pay. She wasn’t even asked to do this! She simply saw a need and the spirit of excellence in her demanded that the need be met.
May I remind you that we should serve like a girl!
1 Peter 2:9 certainly tells us who we are! We love to quote it and sing it because it makes us remember who we are.
But ye are a elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
What we forget is that it also tells us how we are supposed to conduct ourselves and how we are to serve –
“To show for the excellencies of Him who called us out”. How we serve, how we work our job, how we do in school, how we help others should scream out, “God is awesome,” “If you think I am something you should see who I am serving!”
Daniel served like a girl! Daniel 6:3 says, “He was preferred above the presidents and princes because he had an excellent spirit in him.” Daniel was in a hostile environment. He was in captivity! The environment he faced was one that tried to get him to let down and to compromise. He was pressured to give in and do what everyone else around him was doing. However, he maintained excellence. Daniel’s excellent spirit set him apart. He was promoted to greater areas of responsibility.
Your environment may be tough. Your ability may seem to be small, overlooked, and your area of service may seem to be under-appreciated work, but you must have an excellent spirit in all that you do. Even if compromise or mediocrity is encouraged, accepted, or overlooked, you must raise the standard.
Jesus himself encouraged us to serve like a girl! In Matthew 5:41 Jesus said, “If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.”
Some of you have been waiting to be asked. See a need and meet it with excellence. Some of you have just been doing enough to get by, serve like a girl and go above and beyond. Some of you have been thinking no one sees, but God sees and how we serve represents Him!
b. Girl that served was rewarded!
Notice, if you will, that it was when she served that she was rewarded!
We have a promise from God in Matthew 6:1-4
1"Be careful not to do your ’acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
What you do in secret. What you do when no one knows. What you do when no one is around, God will reward openly!
Those that serve are seen by God and those that serve see God.
Steven Furtick made a powerful point recently. He referenced the first miracle that Jesus ever performed, turning water into wine, and asked “who saw it happen?” Only the servants who were willing to get the water!
Service opens our eyes to see God! If you want to see God work on your behalf don’t just show up at a worship service and sit and soak. Get busy! Serve!
I also want you to notice that this although girls’ reward was tangible, it was also so much more than just a little gold. If she had refused to serve she would have missed her destiny! The lineage of Christ could have been changed forever due to a moment of laziness or selfishness! Christ came through the line of her husband and her favorite son, Jacob!
What if your destiny could be gained or lost by one moment of excellent service? What if your legacy and mark on history could be forever lost due to unwillingness to serve due to busyness, laziness, distraction, or other excuses!
C. Girl did some heavy lifting.
We must remember that the servant had traveled a long distance. When he arrived at the well and met Rebekah, he had been traveling for days. One commentary says it was a 17 day journey for the servant. He arrived at the well with ten camels that were loaded with supplies. The camels would have been thirsty!
Notice that service isn’t always easy! Service may mean that you have to sweat and there will certainly be some sacrifice and strain necessary!
One man did the following computation:
10 camels drinking an average of 40 gallons each equals 400 gallons.
The common water jar of that day held 5 gallons.
To give every camel 40 gallons of water required 80 trips to the well.
1 gallon of water weighs 8 lbs.
400 gallons equals 3,200 lbs. of water.
Get this in your mind and spirit. Rebekah made approximately 80 trips and carried over one and half tons of water! One man said it took her at least 2 hours to do this job. 2 hours out of her schedule, late in the evening!
This girl was the man!!! Trip after trip until the job was complete! She didn’t quit halfway in or when she got tired. She stayed in there and got the job done even though it was tiring and painful.
Serve like a girl. When the job gets hard, when it is tough, when you feel like quitting, when you have changed the last diaper you ever want to change, dealt with the last parent of a teenager you ever want to deal with, smiled at the last visitor you ever want to greet, taken up the last offering bucket, sung the last note, brewed the last cup of coffee, or helped the last person you ever want to help . . . as heavy as it is . . . keep lifting!
Hard work is holy work!
If you are not serving – start serving. You are giving God a bad name if you don’t. You reflect on Him. They see your good works and then they see Him. In that order! Your unwillingness to serve may keep people from seeing God. You will be rewarded! Your service allows others to see Him and it makes it possible for you to see Him! Yes, it is tough work, but it is God work! If you aren’t serving like a girl you are late for work!
IV. Close
Today is a great day of celebration for us. We turn two. I want you to know that we only exist because we have some folks who know how to serve like a girl. Very often it is Julie and me that receive the credit, but we know the real story and try to let others in on the secret. The reason we are where we are is because of a small group of people who may just put Rebekah to shame!
I want to ask the following people to come to the front:
Tim and Cheryl Hooper – they were the first couple committed I believe
Danny & Esther Nix
Mike & Tina Baker
Phil & Kim Wilkerson
Mayra Watkins
Jon & Michele Chasteen (couldn’t be here today they are in MO)
These families risked everything. Some of them risked ridicule, anger, leaving their comfort zone and they helped us plant Passion. You are enjoying in many ways the fruit of their labor. They worked with excellence as you can see! They worked with integrity. They have done some heavy lifting. Most everything I have read said that you should dismiss core team immediately upon planting. We said we were going to break the rules and I think we made the right decision. I want to publicly thank them again. We have collectively made the decision that it is time to disband as a core team. That doesn’t release them from service! In fact, it only releases them to really find the area of service that they are passionate about. Some of them have done things they weren’t even comfortable doing, because those things needed to be and had to be done. I want you to know that we love you deeply. We will be eternally connected to you and indebted to you.
Law of celebration – I celebrate you today. I honor your sacrifices and hard work. You are worthy of reward.
Gifts – you are key to Passion.
Meal.
Would you express your thanks to them for their hard work!
One of the reasons we have done this is because I believe that there are those in this body that are making things happen. They have come behind this group and built on the foundation that have established. So we felt like it was time to elevate new leaders into these roles. This new body of leaders that will bring direction, insight, and focus to our church will be called the Passion Ministry Team. They are now going to be doing the heavy lifting! I honestly believe they are getting ready to take us to a new level!
Tina Baker – Prayer/Prophetic
Kim Wilkerson – Passion Kids
Woody & Jessie Burpo – Fuse Youth
Betty Palesano – Greeter Team
Esther Nix – Usher Team
Danny Nix – Tech Team
Dustin Turner – Cross Out Outreach Team
Karlene Arthur – POD Ministries
Chris & Kaysha Fritch – Fuel College/Singles Ministry
Have core team pass the jug to them. We are giving you the jug. It is time to serve with excellence, with passion, with integrity, with honor. May you see God as you help others see Him! The pot may have changed hands but the task is the same . . . to deliver water to the thirsty!
Pray over them.
Now have some cake and let’s celebrate!
