Matthew 9:35-38
Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. “What a huge harvest!” he said to his disciples. “How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Like many other people across America, I’ve become a huge fan of the PBS Masterpiece Theater mini-series Downton Abbey. I am intrigued with this program on many levels. The writing is compelling…the costuming and set design are both like art in motion…and the character development is complex and compelling. I find the “class structure” particularly interesting…how serving as a butler or footman – or working in the kitchen – is considered better than working as a clerk in a village shop…something that is spoken of with such disdain by the servants that you would think this type of work was unbelievably humiliating and degrading! Apparently in early 20th-Century England, the definition of an “honest day’s work” was relative!
Another thing that I find interesting is how the whole household panics when they are “short” a servant or two. If one footman falls ill or gets injured and cannot serve dinner, there is a mad scramble to find someone to replace him. When a “ladies maid” or valet moves to another house to serve another matriarch or “lord”, the whole place goes into a tailspin! They all fret and stew about how they will manage… who will dress Lady So-and-So? How will they juggle the dinner service and attending to “Lord” Grantham? In the little world of “Downton Abbey”, there are sometimes not enough “harvest hands”!
I know…this sounds ridiculous – and it is, to us. But these were very real problems for these manors “back in the day”. And while this was not a serious problem in the scheme of things, a true need for “harvest hand workers” is right under our noses – and many of us don’t even see it. I could list several instances of people I know personally who are battling unimaginable problems…terminal illness…incredible struggles and worries of all sorts…bruised and hurt lives. To all who observe them, there is often no outward indication that something is amiss.
A friend blogged that during a recent cab ride to an appointment at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, the cabbie asked her and her husband, “Which one of you is the patient?” See, they both looked so “normal” and well that he was unable to determine this. And that’s the way it is for so many. We cannot tell “which one is the patient” just by looking…but this doesn’t mean that there aren’t great needs. The question is…are we even looking for these “lost sheep”?
When Jesus looked out over the crowds of bruised and hurting people, His heart broke. Does ours? Are we attuned to the problems around us…and do we really care about those who are confused, aimless, sick, injured and hurting? Are we seeking those who need a “harvest” and ministering to them? This goes well beyond reaching un-believers and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with them. Certainly there is a great need for this type of witness and ministry. But winning souls to Christ is not enough. It’s a “been there, done that…now what?” situation. Are we leaving people in the dust and failing to share Jesus with them at the very core? Are we saying, “You’ve been saved by the blood of Jesus…the rest is up to you!”…or are we saying, “Welcome to the family…how can I help you?” There IS a difference!
Everywhere we turn, people are in need of something that only Jesus can offer. But He is counting on each of us to serve as His vehicle for delivery. Perhaps we could learn something from Downton Abbey and care a little more about having enough “servants” to handle the workload. Unlike the characters in this mini-series, no task performed in the name of Jesus is beneath our “station”…no ministry and/or service is too great or small for us to gladly execute.
Do you truly have Christian compassion for others? Are you doing your part as a member of Christ’s body? Look around…see who needs to feel the love of Christ through your “harvest hands”. It’s time for all of us to get busy and go to work!
©2014 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label real servanthood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label real servanthood. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for February 19, 2013
February 19 ~ Philippians 2:1-4
If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I was listening to a segment on NBC’s The TODAY show about sticky social situations. A woman wrote in and said that she and her husband live in Vermont - where it snows a lot, of course. Every time it snows, this woman’s husband blows off the driveway of an elderly neighbor when he cleans his own driveway. The neighbor has never acknowledged that the man does this… never thanked him… nothing. And he has been doing this for years. The wife asked, “How does he stop?” The panel had several suggestions, including asking the woman if she would like for him to continue – or had she made other arrangements… the wife telling her in private that it would be nice if she spoke to the husband about this once in a while and expressed gratitude… and my favorite – keep blowing off the driveway and say nothing!
When I read this scripture passage, I was reminded of the question on this television segment. The whole purpose in clearing the elderly woman’s driveway should not be to get a “thank you” or to be a hero in any way. In life, there will be a lot of things that we do for others that are never acknowledged or don’t appear to be appreciated. But this is not the point! We should be willing to put ourselves aside… to forget about our own gratification and accolades long enough to help others.
There will be a lot of “thankless jobs” in life. If you are truly serving God in doing them, you won’t care. Stop and think about your own life. Where have you made certain things about you that should really be about God? Where are you acting out of selfishness, jealousy, or an obsession with gaining your own advantage? Have you really gotten anything out of your pursuit of a life in Christ? Is your mission truly to be more like Him and to share His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness with others… or are you more interested in what you He can do for you?
Go back and read this again… if you have really gotten anything out of your journey with Christ, you will pay it forward. If you are more concerned with what’s in it for you than what you can give, maybe it’s time to take a breather and fully examine your discipleship and your commitment. If you are waiting for the elderly lady next door to thank you for clearing her driveway, so to speak, you probably need a “discipleship makeover.” Today seems like a pretty good day to begin… doesn’t it?!
©2013 Debbie Robus
If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I was listening to a segment on NBC’s The TODAY show about sticky social situations. A woman wrote in and said that she and her husband live in Vermont - where it snows a lot, of course. Every time it snows, this woman’s husband blows off the driveway of an elderly neighbor when he cleans his own driveway. The neighbor has never acknowledged that the man does this… never thanked him… nothing. And he has been doing this for years. The wife asked, “How does he stop?” The panel had several suggestions, including asking the woman if she would like for him to continue – or had she made other arrangements… the wife telling her in private that it would be nice if she spoke to the husband about this once in a while and expressed gratitude… and my favorite – keep blowing off the driveway and say nothing!
When I read this scripture passage, I was reminded of the question on this television segment. The whole purpose in clearing the elderly woman’s driveway should not be to get a “thank you” or to be a hero in any way. In life, there will be a lot of things that we do for others that are never acknowledged or don’t appear to be appreciated. But this is not the point! We should be willing to put ourselves aside… to forget about our own gratification and accolades long enough to help others.
There will be a lot of “thankless jobs” in life. If you are truly serving God in doing them, you won’t care. Stop and think about your own life. Where have you made certain things about you that should really be about God? Where are you acting out of selfishness, jealousy, or an obsession with gaining your own advantage? Have you really gotten anything out of your pursuit of a life in Christ? Is your mission truly to be more like Him and to share His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness with others… or are you more interested in what you He can do for you?
Go back and read this again… if you have really gotten anything out of your journey with Christ, you will pay it forward. If you are more concerned with what’s in it for you than what you can give, maybe it’s time to take a breather and fully examine your discipleship and your commitment. If you are waiting for the elderly lady next door to thank you for clearing her driveway, so to speak, you probably need a “discipleship makeover.” Today seems like a pretty good day to begin… doesn’t it?!
©2013 Debbie Robus
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