(July 11, 1990)
Long, long ago, when children were taught to say please and thank you and polite conversation was normal, a young employee worked overtime to meet a deadline. When the assignment was finished and she was getting ready to leave with a friend, her boss said thank you. The friend muttered, “Thanks doesn’t buy much beer.”
There are still a few people who will stay late on a job without expecting or even wanting overtime pay, but they are almost as rare as a polite please and thank you. Mere appreciation isn’t enough in this materialistic society. The reward has to be tangible and preferably bankable.
I came across a startling verse of Scripture one day that showed me the norm for the Christian worker should be diametrically opposite to the norm of our day. It was written by the Apostle Paul to the immature believers in the church at Corinth. He said, “I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.”
I don’t know about most Christians but I find myself often expecting, even taking for granted, that other Christians will not only appreciate me but love me, especially if I spend myself to meet their needs. It isn’t that I serve to earn love but some expression of gratitude is the normal response of a spiritual person, and it usually happens.
However, Paul wasn’t dealing with spiritual persons. He told them in the beginning of his letter that they were carnal, behaving as ordinary men and not saints of God with envy, strife, and divisions among them (3:3). He rebuked them thoroughly and instructed them in godly behavior. At the end of his letter though, he told them he would gladly love and serve them, even if they did not respond as they should. Obviously he wasn’t motivated by any response he hoped to get from them, but what did motivate him?
In his second letter to them, he tells why he could keep on regardless of their reaction: “The love of Christ constrains us...” He could have put it this way: The love of Christ controls us...” It was not a forced restraint but willing submission to the force of the love of God that provided him the necessary motivation to serve others.
But how do you keep on serving people who never show any appreciation? Jesus revealed that to Peter after He rose from the dead and had cooked breakfast for some of the disciples. Taking Peter aside, He asked him if he loved Him. When Peter responded, Jesus said, “If you love me... feed my sheep.”
It is not love for the sheep but love for Jesus that counts. When we love Him, we do what He says. Doing what He says usually involves serving the needs of others. Many times those others are grateful and say so; and many times the Lord will even reward His servants in other ways; but there are occasions when the job is done in love and humility and no one says thanks, or cares, or even seems to notice.
Actually, it is thankless people who really test my relationship with Christ. Am I doing this because I love Him and serve Him? Or am I looking for a pat on the back, my name on a plaque, or at least a mention (with appreciative reverence) from the pulpit next Sunday? Perhaps the truest test of love for Christ is working to help someone who would choke if they had to say thanks, and die on the spot if they had to return the favor, and do that service without a trace of expectation or bitterness.
No, verbal “thanks” doesn’t pay the bills, nor does a servant-spirit keep bread on the table; remuneration is vital to an employee. But if our Master is the Lord and our workplace is with His people, how important to remember that serving Him is a privilege, even a thank-offering, because He gladly spent His life in service to us.
Showing posts with label thankful. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thankful. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Monday, October 20, 2014
Thankful in trials .............. Parables 185
October 4, 1989
Last week I heard a blind woman say that God is teaching her to be thankful for her struggle with blindness. After that shocking statement, she pointed out that most people can thank God for the good things but few really understand His wise purpose for their trials.
And we all have them. There are trials with raising children, trials with the ups and downs of making a living, trials of learning new skills. We have ordinary trials and extraordinary trials. And although they may be part of life, do I really have to thank God for them?
James, a writer of one small book in the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote this even more shocking statement: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of various kinds...”
So, not only does God want us to be thankful for trials, as my friend said, He wants us to be joyful! But is it the struggle with a trial that gives joy? Or something the trial will produce?
In the realm of nature, trials and struggles play a vital role in survival. For instance, if someone takes pity with the struggles of a hatching chick and helps it break through the eggshell, the chick will die. It works the same way for an emerging butterfly. Apparently, the struggle is important. Without it, there is not sufficient strength developed to go on with living.
However, which of us enjoy struggles? When trouble comes, most of us first think of ways we can get rid of the problem. We pray that God will fix it so we have no struggle. When fixing seems out of the question, then and only then will we ask for help to get through it. Could it be that we have missed the point of struggling?
James goes on to tell us we can rejoice when trials come because we “know the testing of our faith develops perseverance... so we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1). By that, He means struggles provide opportunity to gain strength for whatever trials and problems lie ahead. In other words, like the butterfly or the little chick, our struggles strengthen us for the rest of life.
For example, our family has moved over 20 times. After all that, do changes devastate us? Not as they once did. I’ve had severe illnesses and surgery a few times. Does a cold or the flu now throw me into reverse? Not like as it used to. My husband has worked on construction projects permeated by violence. Handguns even came to work in lunch pails. Does an angry employee now send him running for cover? Not likely.
Each of us can look back over our lives and see trials that, at the time, were horrible but they actually prepared us for facing the next trial without horror. We gained wisdom and insight that we wouldn’t have had otherwise. That is part of what James means.
But faith is really the issue. And faith cannot grow as a result of trials if we blame God for our problems or ignore His out-stretched hand. But if in our troubles, we reach out to Him, through faith in Christ, it will result in the happy discovery that God bigger than our problems.
Not only that, He can use any trial as a plus for our life, not a minus. Romans 8:28 promises, “... He is able to work all things together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” Verse 29 describes that “good” as being conformed to the image of His Son. God is so set on that shaping process that He even uses negatives as positives.
It’s not that the Lord couldn’t cut through the confines of our tough situations so we have no struggling. Sometimes He does. But there are occasions when He seems to turn a blind eye to our problems. He just doesn’t fix them. When that happens, beware of thinking He doesn’t care, that He is heartlessly refusing to help us. Instead, remember the little chicks and the butterflies.
Last week I heard a blind woman say that God is teaching her to be thankful for her struggle with blindness. After that shocking statement, she pointed out that most people can thank God for the good things but few really understand His wise purpose for their trials.
And we all have them. There are trials with raising children, trials with the ups and downs of making a living, trials of learning new skills. We have ordinary trials and extraordinary trials. And although they may be part of life, do I really have to thank God for them?
James, a writer of one small book in the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote this even more shocking statement: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of various kinds...”
So, not only does God want us to be thankful for trials, as my friend said, He wants us to be joyful! But is it the struggle with a trial that gives joy? Or something the trial will produce?
In the realm of nature, trials and struggles play a vital role in survival. For instance, if someone takes pity with the struggles of a hatching chick and helps it break through the eggshell, the chick will die. It works the same way for an emerging butterfly. Apparently, the struggle is important. Without it, there is not sufficient strength developed to go on with living.
However, which of us enjoy struggles? When trouble comes, most of us first think of ways we can get rid of the problem. We pray that God will fix it so we have no struggle. When fixing seems out of the question, then and only then will we ask for help to get through it. Could it be that we have missed the point of struggling?
James goes on to tell us we can rejoice when trials come because we “know the testing of our faith develops perseverance... so we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1). By that, He means struggles provide opportunity to gain strength for whatever trials and problems lie ahead. In other words, like the butterfly or the little chick, our struggles strengthen us for the rest of life.
For example, our family has moved over 20 times. After all that, do changes devastate us? Not as they once did. I’ve had severe illnesses and surgery a few times. Does a cold or the flu now throw me into reverse? Not like as it used to. My husband has worked on construction projects permeated by violence. Handguns even came to work in lunch pails. Does an angry employee now send him running for cover? Not likely.
Each of us can look back over our lives and see trials that, at the time, were horrible but they actually prepared us for facing the next trial without horror. We gained wisdom and insight that we wouldn’t have had otherwise. That is part of what James means.
But faith is really the issue. And faith cannot grow as a result of trials if we blame God for our problems or ignore His out-stretched hand. But if in our troubles, we reach out to Him, through faith in Christ, it will result in the happy discovery that God bigger than our problems.
Not only that, He can use any trial as a plus for our life, not a minus. Romans 8:28 promises, “... He is able to work all things together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” Verse 29 describes that “good” as being conformed to the image of His Son. God is so set on that shaping process that He even uses negatives as positives.
It’s not that the Lord couldn’t cut through the confines of our tough situations so we have no struggling. Sometimes He does. But there are occasions when He seems to turn a blind eye to our problems. He just doesn’t fix them. When that happens, beware of thinking He doesn’t care, that He is heartlessly refusing to help us. Instead, remember the little chicks and the butterflies.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Getting out of the pits ................. Parables 167
Do you ever find yourself “in the pits”? You know, it’s related to being down in the dumps, that miserable condition when it seems as if God is gone, no one cares, and everything is going wrong.
Last week some ladies and I talked about getting out of the pits. One of the Psalms says God takes our feet out of the miry clay and sets us on solid ground but we agreed that our feet don’t always cooperate. Sometimes we drag our heels and are not exactly easy to pull from our pits. When I am feeling blue, when it seems everyone in the world has stopped praying, when the pits are so deep there is no light at all in any direction, the things that help me the most are very basic. If I can just grab hold of some simple truth, through it God begins to grab hold of me. Soon He is able to pull me out.
So here is a simple formula for getting out of the pits. It is in the form of an acrostic which makes it easier to remember -- (because when you are down, memory is one of the first things to fail)...
P - stands for PRAISE. Seems so easy, but remember, in the pits God seems absent. It is difficult to praise “nothing.” However, Hebrews 13 says He never really leaves or forsakes me. It is just the -sense- of His presence that can sometimes be lost. Since Psalm 22:3 says the Lord inhabits the praises of His people, praise will restore it. I begin with the alphabet. A is for almighty God; B is for His benevolence; C is that He created me; D, He is my defender; E reminds me He is eternal; F that I can call Him Father; G that He is good; and so on through to Z, He is zealous for me. By then, there is light above the pits.
I - stands for INTERCESSION. That means speaking on behalf of others. When I am in the pits, I am usually so focused on myself and my problems that I forget there is a world of needy people out there, most with far greater needs than mine. Besides, many of them are unable or unwilling to talk to God themselves. However, I can intercede. So I begin simply to tell God about the troubles of those around me. I ask Him to have mercy on them and give them His peace. I ask Him to enable them to see light too, so they will look up to Him and seek His face.
T - stands for two words, THINK AND THANK. There is one thought that guarantees a step up out of the pits. It is this: God has not given me what I deserve or rewarded me according to my sins. If He did that, my lot would be far worse. In fact, I would not draw another breath. Instead, He has shown mercy and offered me the gift of eternal life -- putting the punishment I deserved on His Son. That thought always brings thanks to my heart: thanks for Jesus Christ who died for me so my sins could be forgiven; thanks for His powerful life that conquered sin and death; thanks that Life now resides in me. Because of His life, I also can conquer sin and will one day overcome death and live forever with Him. Thanks opens the window of heaven and lets the Sonshine beam into my pits - a beam upon which I can climb up and out.
S - stands for SING. If all else fails, this one never does. Amazing -- because my voice would sour milk. But God doesn’t seem to mind. He says “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” And when I start to sing, not the usual hit tunes but music based on His Word, joy floods my soul and the pits are far beneath me.
After we ladies talked through the P I T S, we joined hands and actually praised, interceded, and gave thanks. By the time we concluded in song, any discouragement had left. God set our feet back on solid ground.
Next time the blues hit, the pity-party starts, or whatever puts any of us in the pits, God will remind us of this simple formula, I’m sure, and use P I T S to lift us out of the pits!
Last week some ladies and I talked about getting out of the pits. One of the Psalms says God takes our feet out of the miry clay and sets us on solid ground but we agreed that our feet don’t always cooperate. Sometimes we drag our heels and are not exactly easy to pull from our pits. When I am feeling blue, when it seems everyone in the world has stopped praying, when the pits are so deep there is no light at all in any direction, the things that help me the most are very basic. If I can just grab hold of some simple truth, through it God begins to grab hold of me. Soon He is able to pull me out.
So here is a simple formula for getting out of the pits. It is in the form of an acrostic which makes it easier to remember -- (because when you are down, memory is one of the first things to fail)...
P - stands for PRAISE. Seems so easy, but remember, in the pits God seems absent. It is difficult to praise “nothing.” However, Hebrews 13 says He never really leaves or forsakes me. It is just the -sense- of His presence that can sometimes be lost. Since Psalm 22:3 says the Lord inhabits the praises of His people, praise will restore it. I begin with the alphabet. A is for almighty God; B is for His benevolence; C is that He created me; D, He is my defender; E reminds me He is eternal; F that I can call Him Father; G that He is good; and so on through to Z, He is zealous for me. By then, there is light above the pits.
I - stands for INTERCESSION. That means speaking on behalf of others. When I am in the pits, I am usually so focused on myself and my problems that I forget there is a world of needy people out there, most with far greater needs than mine. Besides, many of them are unable or unwilling to talk to God themselves. However, I can intercede. So I begin simply to tell God about the troubles of those around me. I ask Him to have mercy on them and give them His peace. I ask Him to enable them to see light too, so they will look up to Him and seek His face.
T - stands for two words, THINK AND THANK. There is one thought that guarantees a step up out of the pits. It is this: God has not given me what I deserve or rewarded me according to my sins. If He did that, my lot would be far worse. In fact, I would not draw another breath. Instead, He has shown mercy and offered me the gift of eternal life -- putting the punishment I deserved on His Son. That thought always brings thanks to my heart: thanks for Jesus Christ who died for me so my sins could be forgiven; thanks for His powerful life that conquered sin and death; thanks that Life now resides in me. Because of His life, I also can conquer sin and will one day overcome death and live forever with Him. Thanks opens the window of heaven and lets the Sonshine beam into my pits - a beam upon which I can climb up and out.
S - stands for SING. If all else fails, this one never does. Amazing -- because my voice would sour milk. But God doesn’t seem to mind. He says “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” And when I start to sing, not the usual hit tunes but music based on His Word, joy floods my soul and the pits are far beneath me.
After we ladies talked through the P I T S, we joined hands and actually praised, interceded, and gave thanks. By the time we concluded in song, any discouragement had left. God set our feet back on solid ground.
Next time the blues hit, the pity-party starts, or whatever puts any of us in the pits, God will remind us of this simple formula, I’m sure, and use P I T S to lift us out of the pits!
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