Category: Example

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Remembering Italy

This morning as I was catching up on some old friends (via Facebook), I Facebooknotice there was a ‘friend request’ from an unfamiliar name. 

The name of the lady was one I didn’t recognize and therefore didn’t know.  Most of the time I’m happy to accept request from people I’ve met or acquaintances from my past, but when I don’t know someone who ‘whats to be my friend’, I don’t click ‘YES’.  And as I stated, I didn’t recognize this lady.  However, this one was different.  Along with the request, she sent me a note explaining that she had been in Italy during the summer of 1983

(29 years ago) and stayed with my family for 2 weeks.  I figured she had to be a Harding campaigner because my husband and I hosted the group several summers providing them housing in our small apartment. (I guess sleeping on the air mattresses and sharing ONE bathroom was memorable to her.)  Our co-workers/fellow missionaries usually kept the girls since they had 2 bathrooms.  But on this occasion we kept the girls.  To make a long story short…I decided to accept her friend request.  She said she’d like to catch up with us, so I sent her a reply email along with the friend acceptance.  

As it turns out, she came two summers, then at the end of the second campaign she and another girl worked with us in Italy for 4 weeks, staying in our home half of the time.  She and her husband now live in Memphis, Tennessee and have a 15 yr. old son.  They enjoy the opportunities to attend Harding University Lectureship each fall. She told me that the months she spent working in Italy really strengthened her faith and that experience has meant a lot to her over the years.

My point with all of this is simple, even when we aren’t intentionally trying to influence or help someone, we are!  What is important is to realize that our influence might be for the good or it might be for the bad.  People come in and out our lives every day.  We have the opportunity to either show them God’s love and grow closer to Him…or not.  I see a great lesson in this.  Living our everyday lives we need to be careful that we are living for God so that we are a good influence for Him, even when we aren’t aware of others.  Truthfully, I do not remember those months almost 30 years ago.  But obviously she did. This Facebook request serves as a strong reminder of how important it is to live our lives thinking about our actions, our words and our example.

Donna

lamp unto my feet

Thanks again to Donna for sharing another insightful lesson on how impacting (and important) our Christian example should be.  This incident reminds me of a song from years ago.  The words go as follows, “It is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.  And it is in dying that we are born, to eternal life. Make me an instrument of your peace.  I want to know what it’s like to follow you…” If you’re remembering this song you’ll surely recall the next line…“When men look at me, I want them to see, the Light of the World inside.”  I wonder how many of us would have someone from 30 years ago remember our example (our light) and send us a ‘friend request?’  Can you remember someone who impacted your life!

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Using Your God-Given Talents…Part 3

As we conclude this three part series let’s discuss the use of our talents.  Being involved is more than just doing a little here or there.  It’s a life style of giving God my ALL.  Jesus gave His life for me, should I give Him anything less than my life?

Christ tells the parable of the three men who were each given talents “according to his ability.”  As we read Matthew 25 we see that two of the men labored in such a way as to double their talents, and in the end they were praised for their work.  This serves as a clear example of what we should be doing with what God has entrusted to us.  The third man, however, buried his head in the sand and did nothing with the talent his lord had given him.  Consider the consequences for this action: “You wicked, lazy slave…Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness…”  (Matthew 25:26, 30)  Folks, we all have talents!  God has blessed you with talents that He might not have blessed me with.  Perhaps I have talents that you don’t have…how will we use what God has given us?

Recently, one of our senior members here at Waterview encouraged some of her friends to come together each week and take a hot meal to one of our elderly shut-ins.  An elderly, aging senior is blessed by the compassion of her friends, and these friends in their golden years are still serving.  It would be easy to sit back and say, “Somebody should do that,” but these senior sisters are serving the Lord’s church!  Another member here serves the younger people with letters of encouragement, hugs of sincerity and has an attendance record that models faithfulness.  Others within our Prime Timer’s Ministry meet monthly to encourage each other and reach out to those in declining health.  Perhaps Mr. Spencer was right when he wrote, “There is much to do, there’s work on every hand.  Hark!  The cry for help comes ringing through the land; Jesus calls for reapers, I must active be.  What wilt Thou (what do you want me to do), O Master?  Here am I, send me.”

So what does your schedule look like today?  What will you be doing when it comes to the kingdom?  Christians young and old will be faced with new opportunities today.  We must ask ourselves if we are willing to work and labor for our Lord only while it’s convenient, or if we’ll work till Jesus comes.  Many of our older brothers and sisters are weary and have spent their lives working in the service of the King.  THANK YOU for your example, but let me encourage you to keep on serving and remember your goal.

“O land of rest, for thee I sigh!  When will the moment come, when I shall lay my armor by and dwell in peace at home?  We’ll work till Jesus comes…and we’ll be gathered home.”

My life is much more than just getting up and going to work.  The student studies hard to ‘make the grade’, but how much time do we give in preparing ourselves for the FINAL?  Sitting back and expecting others to do the work God calls us to do is a dangerous option at best.
Would that each of us use our God-Given Talents…

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Using Your God-Given Talents…Part 2

As we remember Isaiah’s vision before the throne of God, let’s continue our direction of ‘working in the kingdom’ and being involved in the church.  Like Isaiah, we too can (should) answer, “Here am I, send me!”

There is an old hymn that was written and composed by M. W. Spencer.  The words sound remarkably familiar to the words from Isaiah.  The first verse makes a clear statement that, “There is much to do, there’s work on every hand…” As the song continues we see the call for each of us to be evangelistic, to reach out and carry the Bread of Life to “hungering souls.”  But the chorus rings out the words from Isaiah as we sing, “Here am I, Lord, send me…ready at Thy bidding, Lord send me.” Christians, you know that we are called to be servants (I Timothy 4:6, “…you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus…”).  We are called to work, to serve and give of our talents and time.  But is there a statute of limitations?  Can I call it quits after X number of years?  Many will say, “I’ve done my share of the lifting, it’s time for someone else to carry the load.”  And yes, we all need to be working, but nowhere in the scripture do we read of taking a sabbatical from our Christian walk.  One of our more contemporary songs, “In Christ Alone,” ends with the line, “…till He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.”  We have an obligation; a job to do that never comes to an end.  Young people, parents, grandparents…children of God: let’s be ready to work and work with our whole heart.

A story is told about working and who was doing the work. I’m sure you’ve read it before, but reading it again might be appropriate here: “There is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized Everybody wouldn’t do it. So Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.”
Anonymous (wouldn’t you know!)

It is a fact that in most organizations 20% of the members do most of the work and carry the load of the remaining 80%. Unfortunately our churches sometimes fall into this dilemma.  Imagine what would happen if these figures were reversed and the majority of members came to find the excitement of who we are and Whom we are called to serve.  From the young Christian to the senior saint, each of us has been called for “the work of service…”  (Ephesians 4:11-13).

So how do I get involved in the work of the Lord’s church?  I’m a babe in Christ; what is there for me to do?  Or…I’m an older Christian; can’t I step back and let someone else take up the slack?  It’s my belief that if you’ve stayed with me this far, you have the qualities it takes to be active in Lord’s church.  Most likely you are part of the 20%, so please…don’t quit!  My encouragement to you is simple: if you’ll answer these two questions you’ll know what and where to be involved.  First, what do you enjoy doing?  What do you find interesting and engaging?  Then secondly, what are your talents?  What are you (humbly) good at doing?  When you answer these two basic questions you’ll begin to know where you might be of service in the church.

Next time we’ll look at Christ’s thought’s when it comes working or putting things off.  There is work to be done and it will be done by someone…will it be you?

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Using Your God-Given Talents…Part 1

What does your schedule look like today?  Are you busy with your work or will you just be taking it easy?  Each day we have the responsibility and opportunity to face new challenges.  What work will you be doing?

In 1982 I worked in the local hardware store.  My tasks were pretty basic as they included restocking shelves, loading lumber for a ‘do it yourself’ customer, or ringing up the sale on 2 lbs of 16 penny nails.  Life was predictable in the hardware business, and this summer job was no exception.  One memory from this summer was when I was told my job for the day was to drive the old company truck to Amarillo to pick up a shipment for a costumer.  As a 17 year old driving from Dumas to Amarillo (100 miles round trip) in an old Ford pick-up, it not only rattled my nerves, but also add to the stress a load of glass windows.  The event in and of itself was a great learning opportunity and for the most part was (thankfully) uneventful.  But aside from this one unforgettable task, much of my work at the hardware store/lumber yard was basically day by day and task by task.

Throughout life we move from one job to another, fulfilling the responsibilities that we face within that task.  Some of us are energetic in our work, never content to wait for the next assignment, but constantly staying busy.  With earnest ambition we do our work swiftly and then move on to the next chore.  Workers like this never let the “grass grow under their feet.”  Any void in their day is quickly filled with some sort of labor.  We affectionately refer to this folks as “the movers and shakers” in our world, ever ready to keep on working.

 

On the other hand, there are some who, when faced with a task, do the work and get the job done in a satisfactory manner.  The work completed may even be above reproach and admirably done.  But the difference comes in the next step.  Rather than searching out new opportunities, they tend to sit back with folded hands and say, “I’m done!”  Or worse yet, they get the work done par-satisfactory and then slink away hoping not to be found when the next need arises.  (By the way, workers like that usually find a pink slip at the close of the week…or at least they should.)

Workers in the Lord’s church might very well be classified as one of the two workers listed above.  Some are go getters who see the job, roll up their sleeves and “Get ‘er done.”  Others, however, will do the work when asked, but ‘What…you want me to do something else?’  We know there is work to do, and many of us will be the first to step up to get that work done.  But the fact of the matter remains, with the work that needs to be done, who will do it?  Unfortunately it’s usually left up to the 20%.  Be careful that you don’t fall into the 80% who are work-less (no, I didn’t say worthless).  Notice this passage from the book of Isaiah.

In Isaiah 6, we read the words of Isaiah as he recalls a vision from the throne room of God; “…I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.”  The song Isaiah hears echoes in our hearts, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts…” But notice Isaiah’s response when he hears a call to action in verse 8; “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”  The Lord is calling for a worker and some undoubted would look around and say, ‘Are you talking to me?’  But Isaiah, having just received forgiveness by a burning coal placed on his lips (vs. 6, 7), speaks up and utters the words of a faithful servant: “Here am I.  Send me!”

Come back and let’s continue this discussion again…