October 5th, 2022
The Upward Look, by Jon Forrest
Confuse/Serve Others
The story is told of a minister who was organizing opportunities for people in his church to do small acts of kindness as a demonstration of Christ’s love in the community.
He phoned several neighborhood grocery stores and Laundromats and asked for permission to serve their customers.
As he talked with a grocery store employee, the person hesitated and said, “I’ll need to ask the manager, but first, let me make sure I understand what you want to do: You want to clean up the parking lot, retrieve shopping carts, hold umbrellas for customers, and you don’t want anything in return?”
“Yes, that’s right,” the minister replied.
After a long wait on hold, the employee returned to the phone and said, “I’m sorry, we can’t let you serve our customers, because if we let you do it, then we’d have to let everyone else do it.”
Galatians 5 tells us that people who walk by the Spirit will serve others. The idea of service is confusing to people who live by the flesh because the goal of the flesh is to be served, not to serve. But that is the most important aspect of the person who has the gift of the Holy Spirit inside. The Holy Spirit promotes selflessness, not selfishness.
If you notice, the vast majority of commercials you see on TV or hear on the Radio have to do with serving the person viewing or listening to the ad. McDonalds’ jingle used to go “you deserve a break today.” Burger King told us to “have it your way.” They appeal to your flesh. They appeal to the self-centered aspect of the customer.
So, when the world sees you serving others without any personal gain or benefit, it is confusing. Eventually, they want to know why you do that. Your answer would simply be, because that’s what Jesus wants me to do. Love and serve people in the name of Jesus without any ulterior motive and you will be a witness of Christ’s love to others. They, in turn will want to know more about this Jesus in whose name you have served them.
This Sunday we will continue our sermon series titled, LIFE IN THE SPIRIT When God Moves in to Stay. This week’s message is Watch Your Step based on Galatians 5:13-18. Come join us in the blessing of learning to Live a LIFE IN THE SPIRIT.
Learning more about serving others,
Jon
Confuse/Serve Others
The story is told of a minister who was organizing opportunities for people in his church to do small acts of kindness as a demonstration of Christ’s love in the community.
He phoned several neighborhood grocery stores and Laundromats and asked for permission to serve their customers.
As he talked with a grocery store employee, the person hesitated and said, “I’ll need to ask the manager, but first, let me make sure I understand what you want to do: You want to clean up the parking lot, retrieve shopping carts, hold umbrellas for customers, and you don’t want anything in return?”
“Yes, that’s right,” the minister replied.
After a long wait on hold, the employee returned to the phone and said, “I’m sorry, we can’t let you serve our customers, because if we let you do it, then we’d have to let everyone else do it.”
Galatians 5 tells us that people who walk by the Spirit will serve others. The idea of service is confusing to people who live by the flesh because the goal of the flesh is to be served, not to serve. But that is the most important aspect of the person who has the gift of the Holy Spirit inside. The Holy Spirit promotes selflessness, not selfishness.
If you notice, the vast majority of commercials you see on TV or hear on the Radio have to do with serving the person viewing or listening to the ad. McDonalds’ jingle used to go “you deserve a break today.” Burger King told us to “have it your way.” They appeal to your flesh. They appeal to the self-centered aspect of the customer.
So, when the world sees you serving others without any personal gain or benefit, it is confusing. Eventually, they want to know why you do that. Your answer would simply be, because that’s what Jesus wants me to do. Love and serve people in the name of Jesus without any ulterior motive and you will be a witness of Christ’s love to others. They, in turn will want to know more about this Jesus in whose name you have served them.
This Sunday we will continue our sermon series titled, LIFE IN THE SPIRIT When God Moves in to Stay. This week’s message is Watch Your Step based on Galatians 5:13-18. Come join us in the blessing of learning to Live a LIFE IN THE SPIRIT.
Learning more about serving others,
Jon
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