a pretest before the final exam…

let me ask a very serious question – a pretest before the final exam.  one day GOD is going to ask you, “what did you do with what i gave you?”  GOD is going to do an audit on your life one day.  what’s the bottom line going to show?  when HE says, “what did you do with the talent i gave you?” what are you going to say?  “i made a lot of money and i had a lot of fun and i developed a reputation among other people in the community.”  so what?  wrong answer!  it doesn't count. 

GOD's going to look at you straight in the eyes and say, “did it ever occur to you, that i might have given you your talent, your freedom, your ability, all the things I’ve given you, that I meant for you to not just use it all on yourself?  did it ever occur to you that maybe I made you for a purpose greater than just to retire?  did it ever occur to you that maybe I wanted to use you to bless other people?” 

george gallup did a study a few years back all across america and asked 40 questions to discover the spiritual commitment level of america. he compared the lifestyles of spiritually committed people with uncommitted individuals.  after he had done this all over america he classed 19 million americans (there are 250 million of us) as spiritually committed.  he said these are the results of the spiritually committed lifestyle.

1) they are far more happy and much more satisfied with their lot in life than anybody else. 

2) their divorce rate is far lower and their families are far stronger than the population in general.

3) they tend to be more tolerant of persons of different races and religions than persons who are less spiritually committed.

           

4) they are far more involved in service activities and put a high priority on improving society.

there are benefits.  all that you're looking for, you're looking in the wrong places for it.  it comes through ministry, giving your life in service. 

are you a spiritually committed person?  what's your level of commitment? 

if you haven't committed your life to CHRIST, that's the first step.  open your life to CHRIST.  say, “JESUS CHRIST, i want to be in your plan.  you made me for a purpose.”  if you’ve done that, find a church family and commit to it.  once you've found a church family, get committed to the disciplines for spiritual growth. 

my challenge to you is very specific.  what's the next level of commitment you need to make?  what's the next step GOD wants you to take? 

just a thought from the front porch…

just do your best…

malachi 1.6 (niv) says, the LORD almighty says, “I am your FATHER and MASTER. but where are the honor and the respect that I deserve? you have despised MY name.” if you were to keep reading in that text, the people ask GOD, “how have we despised YOUr name?” and GOD says “you’ve despised my name by offering defiled sacrifices.” and the people said, “how have we done that?” and GOD says, “here’s an example.

instead of finding the best lamb from your flock and offering that as a sacrifice, you’re bringing ME lambs that are crippled and blind and sick. it’s like you’re going out into your field and you find a little feeble lamb leaning against the fence about to die. you figure he’s not going to make it anyway and that’s the guy you bring to me.” and GOD says, “if that’s the way you’re going to worship ME, don’t bother.”

HE doesn’t expect perfection. HE knows we are incapable of giving that. but are you doing your best? maybe even as you might go to church, you don’t give much thought to the honor or the value you’d show the LORD through your actions. like at the time in the service when you have the opportunity to give an offering do you give any thought to the offering you’ll give to GOD? to say, “GOD, i really do love YOU.” or how about when you’re singing? do you give any thought to singing in such a way as if to say, “GOD, you really do matter to me.” or during the time of teaching, do you have an attitude of, “GOD, what do YOU have to say to me today? i really want to do it YOUr way.” worship is about GOD; it’s not about us. taking our eyes off self and looking at GOD.

that’s what service is. service is about others. it’s not about i or me or mine. it’s unselfishness. it’s not treating people like you are here to meet my needs or advance my career or fulfill my dream.

there was a dramatic scene played out by actors. one actor was the leader of an organization and the other actor was his personal assistant. the leader was depressed over the way that people were not responding to his leadership in the way they once had. so his assistant began to explain to him why. she said, “when you first came here, david, you talked a lot about ‘us’ and ‘we’ and ‘the team.’ you challenged us with what we could do together, the hills we could climb side by side. and everyone liked the first david. but that david is gone now. now you just talk about you, what you’re doing, what you’ve accomplished, it’s all about you. and i’ll be honest. i don’t like the second david.” then she said. “nobody around here wants to give their life just so you can pin another medal on your chest.”

and as someone who helps lead from time to time, i thought, “would the people in my world, my family, my co-workers say the same thing about me if given the chance to speak honestly?”

how about you? do you live in such a way that even subtly you communicate to others that they are here for you? or do i in any way show others their value by being there for them? it’s called service. and at the end of the day it’s called respect.

just a thought from the front porch…

courteous in the beginning...

we are looking in 1 corinthians 13 at what love is and verse 5 (niv) says, love is not rude or in otherwords love is respectful. one of the traits of respect is to yield your rights and serve.

so what does yielding and serving look like? well, there are dozens of examples i could give but i’m just going to give you a couple. one example of yielding and serving looks a whole lot like courtesy, common courtesy.

there is a sharp comparison in luke 7 that JESUS drew between the lack of courtesy that the pharisee, simon withheld and all of the courtesy that the woman gave? verses 44-46 (cev), he turned toward the woman and said to simon, “have you noticed this woman? when I came into your home, you didn't give ME any water so I could wash MY feet. but she has washed MY feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. you didn't greet ME with a kiss, but from the time I came in, she has not stopped kissing MY feet. you didn't even pour olive oil on MY head, but she has poured expensive perfume on MY feet.” JESUS was just talking about fundamental courtesy. just the courtesy and customs of the day.

we used to be so courteous as young men. why do we act courteous early in the relationship, but we’re not courteous as the months and years go along. maybe for your wife or girlfriend, you used to open the car door for them. now you’re half way across the parking lot, and you don’t even know if she’s still in the car. like, “what’s wrong with you? is your arm broken?!?” specifically for the husbands. why do you stop serving and being courteous just because you’re now married?

here’s another. service is also when we do our very best for others. when we do a deed of kindness, but we do it with a lot of reluctance, that’s not really service. but when we do our best for others, it does really show that we’re wanting to serve and that they really do matter to us.

notice the word expensive. this woman didn’t come with a that-will-do attitude. she didn’t just “get by.” she probably had cheaper perfume. but she wanted to do for the SON of GOD her very best. other versions said it’s a rare perfume – rare, expensive perfume. she wanted to offer her best. this is one way we do show honor and respect for GOD. it’s not like GOD expects us to bring HIM something that’s perfect. none of us can do that. all of us are imperfect people. but HE does expect that we bring HIM our best.

just a thought from the front porch…

my wife is not a scorekeeper…

another sign you see hanging around everybody’s neck is the yield sign. it basically means yield your rights and serve.

when other people want to be first in line, get all the attention, have everybody waiting on them or doing for them or it’s all about them, those who are around people like that never feel respected. but if somebody ever puts aside their rights and gives back in an act of service, you really feel like you matter to that person.

this story in luke 7 about this woman and JESUS is so tender, and it’s a picture of her service to the LORD. without a word, without mention of the value of her deed, without thinking of the expense or the shame or the work or the demeaning nature of what she was doing, she just came to the feet of GOD’s SON and she served HIM.

have you ever had anybody in your life who has served you, with no thought to their own needs or desires? or have you ever served someone like that?

paul wrote these words in 2 corinthians 12.15 (niv), so i will very gladly spend for you everything i have and expend myself as well. isn’t that a beautiful verse?

i get to see a servant’s heart up-close and personal almost every day of my life in my wife, margaret. she is such a servant. there are so many little things she does. she never fights for the remote control, never insists that we watch what she wants on tv. she’s the first one to get up and answer the phone because i am very reluctant to do that. it’s these small acts of service that makes me feel so honored and so valuable in her sight. she’s quite amazing. probably the most amazing thing of all about margaret is she’s not a scorekeeper.

serving is not scorekeeping. our culture says, “i do for you, now you owe so many acts of service back to me.” “i did this, now it’s your turn to do that.” we get into this tit for tat, back and forth scorekeeping. i’ve seen so many shallow friendships, so many shallow marriages built on that kind of selfishness. the bottom line is that’s what it is. it’s not yielding, it’s not serving.

just a thought from the front porch…

do you want to be great?...

so do you want to be great in heaven? you can make fame the goal of your life, and you get it for one week. you get it on the cover, and the next week somebody else is going to be on the cover of some magazine. fame does not last in this world, so i wouldn’t waste a penny or a moment of your time trying to become famous. it doesn’t last. HE says if you want to be great in heaven, if you want to be great for eternity, if you want to be rewarded for all eternity, you’re going to need to rearrange your priorities and rearrange your schedule to allow more time for serving because that’s what GOD’s going to evaluate.

did you serve? did you give your life away in love to help other people? so HE would say, “do you want to make your life count? stop envying people and start serving them.” and GOD says, “i’m taking notice and you’re going to be rewarded eventually.”

GOD has given you certain abilities, spiritual gifts, passions and experiences. you’re unique. GOD gave you those talents and strengths not for your benefit; HE gave you your talent for the benefit of other people. if you use it on yourself, you miss the point. if you use it on other people, to serve others, GOD says good going. you’re doing exactly what you’re put on earth to do. so use it for the benefit of others.

life is about serving, not acquiring. it’s not how many toys you pile up, it’s not how big a house you get. it’s about: are you a lover? are you a server? are you like JESUS CHRIST and kind to others? and do you give your life away in service to others?

here’s the amazing lesson. if you start giving your life away in service to others, studies have shown you’ll live longer. studies have shown that people who do volunteer service regularly are far more likely to live longer and are less likely to experience a major illness during the course of their lifetime. several other recent studies have shown that volunteering to serve others boasts your level of endorphins, the brain chemical that give you a natural high, and endorphins also play a role in lowering your blood pressure, boosting immunity, which may account for why people who volunteer to serve live longer than those who don’t.

i would add to that that when you’re busy serving others, you don’t have time to envy them. in your weekly schedule, is there any time during your week that you’re doing unselfish, volunteer service in the community, in the church, in the school? anywhere that you’re serving voluntarily? you say, “i’m too busy!” yes, you’re too busy. you need to change your schedule. because when you get to heaven, you’re not going to be evaluated on the stuff that’s filling your schedule right now. it’s going to be on, did you learn to love? you say, “i don’t know where to start.” just look around. there are opportunities all around you..

love is something you do. and JESUS said if you want to be great, you’ve got to focus on this one. because it’s the ultimate antidote to envy.

just a thought from the front porch…

what is going to matter in heaven?...

let me give you a couple practical ideas of how to stay focused on the life that GOD has for you to live.

one, i encourage you to get a SPIRITual partner. somebody you can trust that can say to you, “you’re getting a little off track here. why don’t you focus on the life that you need to live?” get a SPIRITual partner.

two, memorize some bible verses. GOD can bring those verses that you’ve memorized to mind at just the right time to say, “get back on track!” james 3.16a (cev), whenever people are jealous or selfish, they cause trouble. that’s an honest verse, isn’t it?

JESUS concludes this story with a shocking statement. matthew 20.16&26 (nlt/cev) says, and so it is that many who are first now will be last then. HE’s talking about in heaven. and those who are last now will be first then. if you want to be great you must become the servant of all the others. this is the great reversal.

GOD says when we get to heaven, the tables are going to be turned upside down. all those celebrities, all those people of talent, famous people that you envy – all the people that you envy – HE said, they’re going to be at the back of the line because the line in heaven is not about wealth and fame and possessions and all those things.

the point HE’s making there is this: none of the things we envy on earth are going to matter in heaven. not one of them! not success, not wealth, not talent, not beauty, not fame, not accomplishments, none of the things we envy most on this side of eternity are going to matter one bit those billions and billions of years in eternity. what GOD is going to evaluate in your life and what GOD’s going to reward in your life is not how much money or accomplishments or talents or beauty or whatever you have here on earth.

what GOD is going to evaluate and reward in your life is your service to other people. HE says if you want to be great, you must learn to be the servant of others. HE’ll ask how much did you serve the people around you in love. HE’s not going to ask, “how many businesses did you build? how big did your bank account and your ira and your retirement fund get?” HE’s not going to ask, “how well known did you become in your neighborhood?” HE’s going to say, “how much did you serve?” listen, love is something you do, and the bible tells us serve one another in love. service is love in action.

just a thought from the front porch…