Jesus said to His disciples, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Matthew 20:25-28 (NASB).
There is a lesson for us, illustrated in the actions of eleven-year-old Jeff. He, along with the rest of the boy scout troop, did a "good turn" in order to complete a project for their next service badge. The boys gathered at Mr. and Mrs. Meyers' house and spent some time cleaning the snow and ice off the older couple's sidewalks and porch.
But somehow, Jeff didn't feel satisfied. To him, it felt sort of phony. He talked it over with his scoutmaster. "I don't think it really helped them much. It seems like we did it more to earn points for ourselves."
"You could go back on your own to see what you can do to help them," the scoutmaster suggested. "And, if you don't tell anyone about it, you won't be earning 'points.’” To Jeff, that sounded like the perfect solution. He’d serve with no motive for notice or reward. There’s a lesson for us.
I. WHEN YOU SERVE, DO IT SECRETLY:
A. Don’t do it for admiration or acclaim; praise or prestige; recognition or reputation.
1. Jesus censured the Pharisees for seeking men’s admiration. “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,” Matthew 6:1-3 (NASB).
2. Some people can’t give a bag of Dollar Store gingersnaps without wanting their name in the bulletin for meritorious service.
B. Two Don’ts come to mind:
1. Don’t just seek the small, unsatisfying praise of men, instead, desire God’s “Good job!”
2. Don’t despise the smaller, less noteworthy tasks because they bring little or no recognition. Like the judge who was asked to teach a 5th grade class at church, and refused because he considered himself too important for such a small task.
C. Real service is
1. Disconnected from personal benefit and honor.
2. Done for no eyes but the Lord’s and, only if need be, the beneficiary.
D. I knew a man 50 years ago who made sure to point out things he and his wife had given to the church, saying, “We gave that just to show what good Christians we are.” They had their reward.
E. Call no attention to your service and remember: “God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.” Hebrews 6:10 (NASB). If He sees, no one else needs to.
Jeff decided to serve the Meyers as secretly as possible. When he knocked on the door, he was nervous, but he was determined to follow through with his good turn.
Mrs. Meyers opened the door and listened carefully, and then politely declined Jeff's offer of help. Mr. Meyers, however, overheard the conversation. "I know something you can help with," he said cheerfully, and he motioned Jeff to, follow him into the kitchen.
Jeff was kept busy carrying some items up from, and others down to, the basement, and climbing a stepladder to reach high shelves. That evening Jeff felt very tired, but he felt more satisfied with his work than he had after shoveling snow.
After school the next day, Jeff returned to the Meyers' home. This time they were both willing to accept his help. He stopped by a third time a few days later as he said he would.
"No work today," Mrs. Meyers said. For a moment Jeff felt disappointment, but then Mr. Meyers said, "Today we have a surprise for you." With that they ushered him into the small dining room.
A table set for three sat waiting, complete with lace cloth, flowers, and a silver plate filled with diamond-shaped cookies. “Help yourself; there are plenty more.” Mrs. Meyers said as she passed the silver plate to Jeff.
Thus began an hour or so of laughter and conversation. As the couple shared pictures and told stories about their family that now lived far away, Jeff's heart was softened as he realized how lonely they were. He decided to stop by often and "help out.” All during the years of junior and senior high, Jeff continued to stop by a time or two each week. There was always some way he could pitch in. He never got tired of helping the Meyers and they never tired of his company. Here is another lesson:
II. WHEN YOU SERVE, DO IT TIRELESSLY:
A. “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.” Galatians 6:9-10 (NASB).
B. This is what the Bible has to say:
1. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.” Romans 12:11 (NLT2).
2. “For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for Him and how you have shown your love to Him by caring for other believers, as you still do.” Hebrews 6:10 (NLT2).
3. “So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.” 2 Peter 1:10 (NLT2).
C. Having said that let me remind you, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10 (NASB).
1. We are saved for, not by, works.
2. Works are the fruit not the root of salvation.
3. Works are the consequence, not the cause of salvation.
4. Martin Luther said, “God doesn’t need your good works, but your neighbor does.”
D. Our neighbors at Turner Retirement Home need a good work done for them. Won’t you join others who have put their hands to the task? Perhaps it is your neighbor who needs your good works.
E. A little hen had some grain and asked new farm friends who would help her plant and cultivate the seed. “Not me! I’m too tired,” said the dog. “Me, too!” said the duck. “And I have other tasks to perform,” said the cat.” “Then I will plant it and cultivate it myself.”
Came harvest time and the little red hen asked, “Who will help me harvest the grain and take it to the mill?” “Not me! I’m too tired,” said the dog. “Me, too!” said the duck. “And I have other tasks to perform,” said the cat.”
The miller ground the grain into flour and the little red hen asked, “Who will help me bake the flower into cookies??” “Not me! I’m too tired,” said the dog. “Me, too!” said the duck. “And I have other tasks to perform,” said the cat.” Then I will bake them myself.”
The cookies were perfect, and the little red hen asked, “Who will help me eat the cookies I baked?” Dog, duck and cat all said, “I will!” But the little red hen said, “Wanna bet?” and she ate them all herself. Never be too tired or busy to serve – cookies or not.
Jeff had put his hand to the task, but the time came when he enlisted in the Army. Letters had to replace the face-to-face talks. Every holiday season Jeff received a package from the Meyers -always a batch of diamond shaped cookies.
Mr. Meyers died while Jeff was in the service, and when he returned home, he picked up his old habit of stopping in a couple times a week, "just to help out a bit." He knew Mrs. Meyers was extremely lonely without Mr. Meyers. He continued to help and she continued to serve diamond shaped cookies on the silver platter in the dining room.
Then, Jeff was getting married. Mrs. Meyers would not have missed his wedding for anything. She left her house the day of the ceremony carrying her gift, a "rag" rug that she lovingly braided and stitched by hand, and a double batch of diamond shaped cookies. Tucked inside the package was her special cookie recipe.
As it turned out, that was the last batch of cookies she made; she died a few months later. But the love that grew between them never died. And Jeff felt good that he had served the Meyers not for points or praise or pay, but only for the love he had.
And here is the final lesson:
III. WHEN YOU SERVE, DO IT LOVINGLY:
A. There is a direct correlation between loving Jesus and serving Him and others.
1. Loving and serving Jesus means obeying Him.
2. Obeying Jesus means serving others. After Peter’s triple denial of Jesus, he is given another chance to serve Him. Three times Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Three times Peter said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” Three times Jesus said to him, ‘Take care of My flock.” Loving Jesus is serving His flock; taking care of His flock is serving Him.
B. You can serve without loving but you can’t love without serving. Paul wrote, “if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NASB).
C. You might as well tell an orange tree not to produce as to tell love not to serve. You might as well tell a fish not to swim as to tell love not to serve.
D. It is a sure thing that if you genuinely love someone, you will serve them, and if you genuinely serve them you will love them more.
E. An old man visited his wife of 68 years in the Alzheimer’s wing of the local nursing home. She had long ago forgotten who he was, but he visited every day. A friend asked, “Why do you visit Estelle every day? She doesn’t even know who you are.” The old man smiled and said, “No she doesn’t know me, but I know her and still love her as much as I ever did.”
Because Jeff loved the Meyers, he served them. He kept his promise to himself that he would never tell anyone about the "special project" of helping Meyers. He thought that drawing the attention to himself would spoil the "good turn." And our mention of serving Turner Retirement Homes is intended, not for credit, but to urge you to join in the work.
Jesus calls us to service; some to large tasks, some to lesser things
.
• It may be providing transportation for doctor appointments, for shopping, or to church.
• It may be inviting someone to your home for a meal.
• It may be befriending the lonely and overlooked.
• It may be sitting with visitors to CCC.
• It may be inviting newcomers out to lunch.
• It may be providing respite child care for a weary mother.
• It may be helping renovate the next cottage at TRH.
But, whatever it is to which He calls us, it is divine work we do, so let us serve secretly, without pomp and ceremony; let us serve tirelessly, and let us serve lovingly.
Whom do you serve? And how do you serve? And what is your motive for serving? It is to a life of service that Jesus calls, and the faithful soul will reply, “I will serve You!” Jeff story retold by Nola Bertelson
