The Greatest Serve with Endurance!

The greatest in the kingdom of God serve by methods of love, endurance, persistence, and expectation.

 

The Greatest Serve with Endurance:

Consider Luke 22 verse 27 where Jesus says, “I am among you as one who serves.” God could have easily walked away from his creation. We certain walk away from him. We chose to do it our way. Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley sang it...”I did I've loved, I've laughed and cried , I've had my fill, my share of losing And now, as tears subside I find it all so amusing to think I did all that and may I say, not in a shy way not me, I did it my way.”

In contrast, God faithfully served and demonstrated his love our direction. Romans 5:8 states, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He faithfully served. Jesus also demonstrates to us that the greatest do not consider their way...but consider the way of serving faithfully. Believers serve through rejection, through hurt, through sorrow, through hard times...the greatest serve with endurance.

During World War II, England needed to increase its production of coal. Winston Churchill called together labor leaders to enlist their support. At the end of his presentation he asked them to picture in their minds a parade which he knew would be held in Piccadilly Circus after the war.

First, he said, would come the sailors who had kept the vital sea lanes open. Then would come the soldiers who had come home from Dunkirk and then gone on to defeat Rommel in Africa. Then would come the pilots who had driven the Luftwaffe from the sky.
Last of all, he said, would come a long line of sweat-stained, soot-streaked men in miner's caps. Someone would cry from the crowd, 'And where were you during the critical days of our struggle?' And from ten thousand throats would come the answer, 'We were deep in the earth with our faces to the coal.”
Not all the jobs in a church are prominent and glamorous. But it is often the people with their "faces to the coal" who help the church accomplish its mission. Those with there faces to the coal are serving with endurance. Christ-followers serve when it is not easy to serve, they serve when it is not pleasant to serve, they serve even when it is painful....

Serving with endurance is not about how much pain this is putting on “me,” … serving with endurance is about being comforted in the hope of our salvation and serving the “THEM.”

Let me ask you....do you serve with endurance?

You know I love ya, Don

I think God has me as a Bonsai Tree

The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God. Isaiah 35:1-2

Have you ever heard the saying, "Bloom in the garden God planted you in, even if it is a patch of weeds"? It is not easy to bloom in this world. The world is filled pride, ambition, and competition. I think of the Bonsai Tree.

Bonsai is the ancient Oriental art of growing miniature trees. After choosing a promising looking young plant, the tree is watered and nourished to get it used to its new surroundings. After a while, it is transplanted to a new container. Normally during this transplant process, the roots are trimmed and thinned out. Once the tree is in its new container, the grower begins to shape it by trimming some branches and using wire to encourage the limbs to grow in a certain way. Since the tree is not growing according to its natural instincts, the grower has to pay a lot of attention to it. The grower has to ensure that it is getting the right amount of water and light. He has to watch for stresses in the limbs. There is also some extra pruning and “touch-up” work that has to be done. Particular attention is given to make sure that bugs do not infect the tree.

Bonsai trees do not form overnight. They take many years to grow into something that you can be proud of. In many oriental families the Bonsai Tree is passed from generation to generation and is placed on a pedestal in the front room so that all can see it.

Most of us want to be the mighty Oak Tree in the middle of the County Court House Lawn. Proud and mighty and the spectacle for all to see. The pride of the community. Yet, God calls us to be Bonsai Trees. He prunes and binds the growth with skill so that we will be a thing of tremendous beauty. The pruning and dedication are hard...in the end we are a beautiful creation of the perfect creator.

You know I love ya - Don

I Need Encouragement!

But Paul and Barnabas traveled inland to Antioch of Pisidia. On the Sabbath they went to the synagogue for the services. After the usual readings from the books of Moses and the prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this message: “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, come and give it.” So Paul stood, lifted his hand to quiet them, and started speaking. “Men of Israel,” he said, “and you God-fearing Gentiles, listen to me..."- Acts 13:14-16.

All of us need and want encouragement. No matter how educated we are, how old we are, how self-sufficient we are; we never outgrow our need to be stroked, encouraged, comforted, supported, and invigorated. And yet, encouragement is often a commodity in short supply. An old minister, on his deathbed, was asked, "If you had it all to do over, would you do anything differently?" He replied, "Yes, I would have criticized less and encouraged more."

We live in pretty heavy days. We have a multitude of concerns: personal, inter-personal, national and international. Are we safe from nuclear warfare? Will the Middle East ever know peace? Will South Africa solve its problems? Is the stock market a safe investment? Is there hope for a cure for the AIDS epidemic? Can we ever solve the drug problem? Will I have enough money to send my children to college? Is my job secure? Will my pension/retirement funds be sufficient? Will my wife/husband/children/parents/friends ever understand me? Will I (or my loved ones) survive this threatening illness? What about death; am I ready to die? Am I prepared to meet God?

Oh, yes, it's easy enough to see why these leaders of the synagogue asked for an encouraging word. The world is a rough place. Paul's starts of with the Old Testament and on to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Now Paul comes to the good news, that "word of encouragement" they had asked for. He said, "We (Paul and Barnabas) tell you the good news." True, Jesus did not deserve to die, true they killed him and nailed him to a tree, true they buried him in a borrowed grave, "But God" - (there's that wonderful phrase that we find over and over again in Acts) - "But God raised him from the dead!" The Christian faith and hope of the resurrection is a glorious one. It's a divine-shot-in-the-arm (or heart) for depression. The circumstances of life can only push us so far. The devil can only oppress us up to a certain point. We believe in the resurrection and nothing can ultimately defeat us!

We all need encouragement...the sure and depressing word is that we are sinners - all of us - but the "encouraging word" is that Christ died for sinners and there is for us, unworthy as we are, forgiveness of sins. We can be encouraged...we are not alone. God loves us enough to forgive us, lift us up, and embrace us with life for all eternity.

You know I love ya and be encouraged today because God love ya too. -Don

His Love endures forever!

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
1 Chronicles 16:34

This phrase appears in the bible over 25 times. It is a reoccurring theme. It usually is attached with these words preceding it, "Give Thanks to the Lord." I am on a Thanksgiving theme the last week or so because it is the Thanksgiving time of the year. We are in the End of November and the beginning of the Christmas Season. In the United States, we set aside time to give thanks to the Lord.

This phrase caught my eye with the words, "His LOVE endures forever." How appropriate that God's love is enduring. The definition of "enduring" is to be lasting; continuing; durable, long-suffering; patient. WOW! I am glad God's love is lasting, continuing, durable, long-suffering and patient.

So, I have another thing to add to my Thanksgiving list this year....I am thankful for God's love and that HIS LOVE endures through my biases, temptations, and foolishness. He loves me....He loves you, too. I guess you have something to be thankful for as well.

Giving thanks is a wonderful thing...give thanks to the Lord, His love endures forever.

You know I love ya - Don