Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “A life of service.”
Our Bible verse for today: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “A life of service begins with the most basic tasks.”
I’m not much of a shopper. In fact, I think of shopping as a necessary evil and I do as little of it as I can get away with. But I do like the Food City grocery store in our neighborhood. It’s an attractive store, well-stocked with lots of quality products at a good price.
I was there the other day just to get a few things and when I got to the cash register the cashier looked up at me with a big friendly smile and said “Hello”. Then she asked me if I found everything OK. Then she asked how I was doing. Then she chatted pleasantly while she rang-up and bagged my order. Then as I was leaving she smiled again and said, “God bless you. I hope you have a nice day.”
As much as I dislike shopping, this was a pleasant experience that lifted my spirits and made my day a little better, and all because that cashier was a friendly person who went the extra mile to do her job well (and the intentional “God bless you” leaves me thinking she was a Christian).
When we think of living a life of service for Jesus we can easily fall prey to the false notion that such a life only includes things like serving meals at the homeless shelter, or teaching the children’s Sunday school class, or bringing a meal to a sick person. But while those activities certainly are acts of service in the name of Jesus, that’s not the whole picture.
Paul teaches in Colossians 3:23-24 that a life of service involves the entire life, all aspects of it, and it begins at the most basic level. When Paul writes, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as doing it for the Lord …” he’s talking about absolutely anything. If you’re making breakfast for your family, do it as an act of service to Jesus. If you’re performing a task at work, do it for Jesus. If you’re helping a friend to move furniture, do it as if you were moving that couch for Jesus Himself.
A committed Christian should strive to be the best spouse, the best parent, the best neighbor, the best friend, and the best employee we can be. We should be friendly, helpful, and joyful as we go about our daily routine because the things we do, we are doing for the Lord Jesus Himself.
When we approach even the most basic tasks in life with the heart of a joyful servant who is eager to please the Lord in the way we do things, it will change our perspective about other people and about life itself. Ours will be a life of service, and we’ll be happy about it.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 