11/19/2017
Have you ever received manna from heaven? Maybe you haven’t been the recipient of this heavenly food specifically, but has some form of spiritual or supernatural rescue or provision been provided for you? How about a call from God to be that answer to someone else’s need or prayer? When God uses us in this way we suddenly realize the immenseness of the blessing that comes from being in His service.
“For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.”
Hebrews 6:10 ESV
God blesses us now and for eternity for the service we provide in His name. There is an earthly blessing, and a spiritual blessing each time we answer His call. Sometimes we serve Him in a traditional way by delivering the gospel message to a dying soul. When you do this, never discount its importance. This isn’t just a nice thing to share with someone you meet, or a good way to end a sermon, but rather the greatest portion of any sermon or conversation, it is the lifesaving part. When we do this it becomes the longing of angels themselves as they look on!
“It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.”
1 Peter 1:12 ESV
God blesses us, He blesses the recipient of the gospel message we shared, He blesses entire families, communities, and more as this person begins to interact with those around them as Christ would, and God blesses us for being faithful servants to the kingdom.
“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”
2 Corinthians 9:6 ESV
We can also serve Him in ways that no one else but God and ourselves will know during our lifetime. This service is like praying in secret... the blessings and treasure become compounded in heaven. This week I heard a wonderful account of serving others in secret.
The Chief Information Officer of my company had recently lost his father. He had been a man of limited means, and worked hard all his life to provide for his family. One day the CIO received a message from his sister, who was settling their father’s estate. The note sounded ominous as she told him that they needed to have a conversation about a financial matter relative to their father.
When at last they spoke he was pensive, but what his sister told him was anything but bad news. She said that as far back as she was able to go in their father’s finances, he had been donating $20-$25 dollars to between 100 and 150 charities each and every year. All of these donations were small and flew under the radar of his family, and those who received them. There was no intention that he gain any notoriety for his gift... it was simply a matter of heart and obedience. His reward was not to be in this world. My friend related that he now knew why he felt so strongly about his own philanthropy.
Do you do Godly things without anyone realizing their source? Do you have a secret life of giving that only God knows about? How does that Bless You, and how does your service to God impact the lives of others and God’s will around you? Service or gifts provided secretly!
A few years ago I began a giving jar. This was a simple jar that I filled up with something that I felt someone needed, and then I gave it to them. The idea was to also designate a person who would receive the empty jar next... and who would fill it again for the next needy person. I gave the jar, and I know of one other recipient, but then the jar passed out of sight. I don’t have a clue where that jar went, or even if it has gone anywhere, but perhaps God is still blessing people through it. Service and gifts given at God’s direction!
“Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.”
1 Samuel 12:24 ESV
Gifts and our service should be that way... we do these things for God because he asked us to, and not because we expect a reward from them. When we obey God’s call to us wonderful things happen. The reward is proportionate to God’s pleasure in it... not to the size of it, or the grandeur of the effort. Most of the time his pleasure comes from what has transpired within us. He sees the reason we obeyed... was it out of love for him? A desire to please Him without thought of self? Or, was it to gain something from Him in return?
When I was young I would ask my father if the grass needed mowing, then I would ask how much he would pay me for doing it. What could have been a gift became a business transaction. Then, years later I saw that my aged father-in-law was having a hard time mowing his lawn. So I showed up one day and mowed it... then I came the next week, and the next, and began doing many other things to help. This went on for years. None of these things required payment or even acknowledgement they were my gift of love, and the amazing thing was how many blessings I received while doing this; not as payment but as a return of love from the Lord. My faith abounded. Service and gifts given selflessly!
We give of ourselves, and at the desire of God. This is the service that the Lord takes pleasure in. This is the obedience He values most. In this way we become the manna from heaven that appears when God’s people are most in need, and in this way we bring salvation to lost souls through the gospel as we act it out every day in our lives.
How will you serve today? How will God ask you to present yourself as a gift to the world, and a blessing to His kingdom?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for all the ways I can serve you and your children. I thank you for the opportunity to give selflessly to accomplish your will, and to live as Jesus lived while He gave himself to all those around Him. Holy Father, I thank you for your blessings, and for increasing my faith as I ladle it upon others. I remember the loaves and fishes Father, and I see that there is no limit to the loving gifts you provide through me. Let me be your basket Father, and increase your loaves in me even as each passes lovingly into the hands of a world that desperately needs you. Praised be your name Father, and rich are your gifts. We thank you for your Son Jesus Christ, and His ultimate gift of your grace. Holy art thou and full of grace are you!
Rich Forbes