Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Excellence”
Our Bible verse for today: “Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26-28 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Take your eyes off of yourself.”
One of the most impressive and inspirational men I have ever known was a retired pastor by the name of Dick DeGrow. When I first met Dick he was already in his 70s. He was a member of the first church I was the Pastor of and he served as a deacon, Sunday school teacher, and as the church custodian. Yes you read that right, he was a retired Pastor and he was the church custodian.
Dick was a calm and quiet man who always had a smile on his face and was usually softly humming some old favorite hymn. He had great knowledge of the Bible, a lot of life experience, and he was wise in the way that great men of God are wise. People came to him frequently for advice and counsel – including me.
One of the things I remember most about Dick was his servant’s heart. He loved people and he cared about them. He was available at all hours of the day and night to talk, counsel, and pray with others, and he was always looking for things he could do to help make their lives a little better, a little easier. He found great joy in simply and quietly being a blessing.
Jesus was like that. Matthew 20:26-28 is just one of the many Gospel passages that describe for us the servant-heart of our Lord. The main thrust of that passage, and of the others like it is “Go and do likewise.” As a follower of Jesus we are to be like Jesus. If He came to serve others, then that’s what we need to do too.
Interestingly, Dick DeGrow was also one of the happiest and most content people I have ever known. He just seemed to have a deep-seated sense of quiet contentment and peace. I believe that’s true in general of those who have a Christ-like servant’s heart. When we take our eyes off of ourselves and focus instead on being a blessing to others, our own cares and worries seem to fade away and become much less significant in our own minds. Those who focus endlessly on themselves and on their own problems tend to be consumed with those thoughts and as a result, they spend their time agitated and worried.
Jesus calls us to follow in His footsteps and to be a servant. If we make service to others our focus, we soon discover that the quality of our own lives improves significantly. Worry is replaced with peace and our own issues just don’t seem as big and bad anymore. I encourage you today to take your eyes off of yourself and to focus instead on doing things for others.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 