Service Included

O

ne evening I decided I had had enough of my own cooking and needed a break.  So I took myself out on the town and ate at a nice Italian restaurant not far from the seminary.  When I got there, the parking lot was relatively empty so I got a choice spot.  I went in, sat myself, and prepared to order.  The menu had so many wonderful things on it that it took me a while to make a decision.  But I settled for the fettuccini alfredo with chicken, a most excellent choice.  My waitress was new to the job but she handled herself very well.  She took my order and when the food was ready, she brought me my dinner.  She checked with me from time to time to make sure I had everything I needed and then left me to eat in peace. 

Across the room from me sat an older gentleman who also was dining alone.  Since there were very few people in the restaurant, we shared the same waitress.  Although she checked with him at regular intervals, it seemed she could do nothing to please this gentleman.  The bread was too hard, he had to wait too long, the food wasn't cooked to his liking, the tea was too strong and the coffee was too weak.  His napkin had a spot on it, he didn't particularly like his table, and he thought the waitress was too slow.  Complain, complain, and complain! The waitress, to her credit, continued to offer this gentleman exceptional service.  At the end of the meal, she gave him his check, cleared his table, and wished him a good evening.  He left her a dollar for her trouble.  I couldn't help but believe that the man was the loser in this situation, not the waitress.

Now there are only two kinds of people in a restaurant, those who serve and those who are served.  Most of us fall into the second category.  We enjoy placing an order, having our glasses refilled, receiving undivided attention, and feeling very important.  If the service is good, we leave a tip.  If the service is exceptional, we may leave a little more. However, if the service is less than we expected, we leave less or nothing at all.   Therefore, it all comes down to whether or not we feel as if our waiter or waitress has adequately met our needs.  It all revolves around our egos and the tip we leave, or don't leave, is in direct proportion to the degree with which we feel our expectations have been met. The amount of the tip says as much about the generosity of the person being served as it does about the service given by the waiter or waitress. 

Would it surprise you to know that Jesus faced this same situation?  He wasn't sitting in a restaurant and he wasn't deciding how much tip to leave.  Instead, his own disciples were vying for positions of importance in his kingdom.  James and John asked Christ if they could occupy the thrones immediately to his right and left, which are elite positions.  The other disciples were very upset at learning of this request.  It could have been because they thought James and John out of line, or it could have been because they felt they were beaten to the draw.

Whatever the reason for their anger, Jesus sent a very strong message about being a servant.  In Mark 10:43-45, Jesus makes the following observation, "but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. “And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”  The requirements for true greatness, according to Christ, are the exact opposite of the world's standards.  We are not here to be served, but to serve others. 

In all points, the life of Jesus was a life of service.  He provided food for five thousand people instead of asking for something to eat himself. When there was no wine at the wedding, he provided it.  When people couldn't walk, he healed them.  When they couldn't see, he opened their eyes, and when they couldn't hear, he unstopped their ears. When a woman was entrapped and accused by her peers, he came to her defense.  When we couldn't come to God on our own, he gave himself as our ransom so that we could be reconciled to God.  The life of Jesus was one of constant self-sacrifice and service.  If Christ were waiting tables today, he would refuse the tip, simply saying, "the service is included."  Could the same be said of us today?

Always In Service

Y

ou can see them everywhere at the university.  In fact, they are so common that if you don’t look twice, you will walk right by them and not even know they are there.  Everywhere on campus, it seems, these little blue towers stand guard over the student body, always at the ready to lend a helping hand and put them in direct contact with the police in the event of an emergency.

The little towers are more noticeable at night when a blue light near the top illuminates and all the towers begin to glow, bringing a sense of safety and security to those walking the campus at night.  However, there was one tower I passed several weeks in a row that was distinctly different from the rest.  In addition to its blue color and its lamp, this tower also bore a swatch of brown and that swatch made all the difference.

The swatch was a piece of cardboard with a message scribbled across it. The message simply read, “Not In Service.”  Now, I ask you, how effective was that tower going to be had someone required immediate assistance?  It stood ready, but it was incapable of rendering aid of any kind in the event of an emergency.  The tower was unreliable and, therefore, was of no help.

In Psalm 46, David reminds us that God is always in service.  He is always standing by, ready to help us when we need it; and we need it all the time.  Psalm 46: 1 reads, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. “ Who better than David to remind us of this truth?  David knew what it was to depend on God as a refuge.  He also knew God to be a constant source of help in times of trouble.  David had many troubles in his life and he also had many enemies, but he had learned to depend on the one who offered shelter and safety in the middle of life’s crises.

Do you find yourself in need of help today?  Do you need refuge from the world around you and are you running low on strength?  Look for God’s blue tower.  You probably have several of them lying around your house or gathering dust on coffee tables or bookshelves.  Pick up his word; open its pages. By doing so, you place yourself in direct contact with the one who knows you best and can help you the most.  He is always in service, ready, willing, and able to come to your aid at a moment’s notice.  So, have you visited the little blue tower lately?  Perhaps it’s time you did.

Service Included

O

ne evening I decided I had had enough of my own cooking and needed a break.  So I took myself out on the town and ate at a nice Italian restaurant not far from the seminary.  When I got there, the parking lot was relatively empty so I got a choice spot.  I went in, sat myself, and prepared to order.  The menu had so many wonderful things on it that it took me a while to make a decision.  But I settled for the fettuccini alfredo with chicken, a most excellent choice.  My waitress was new to the job but she handled herself very well.  She took my order and when the food was ready, she brought me my dinner.  She checked with me from time to time to make sure I had everything I needed and then left me to eat in peace. 

Across the room from me sat an older gentleman who also was dining alone.  Since there were very few people in the restaurant, we shared the same waitress.  Although she checked with him at regular intervals, it seemed she could do nothing to please this gentleman.  The bread was too hard, he had to wait too long, the food wasn't cooked to his liking, the tea was too strong and the coffee was too weak.  His napkin had a spot on it, he didn't particularly like his table, and he thought the waitress was too slow.  Complain, complain, and complain! The waitress, to her credit, continued to offer this gentleman exceptional service.  At the end of the meal, she gave him his check, cleared his table, and wished him a good evening.  He left her a dollar for her trouble.  I couldn't help but believe that the man was the loser in this situation, not the waitress.

Now there are only two kinds of people in a restaurant, those who serve and those who are served.  Most of us fall into the second category.  We enjoy placing an order, having our glasses refilled, receiving undivided attention, and feeling very important.  If the service is good, we leave a tip.  If the service is exceptional, we may leave a little more. However, if the service is less than we expected, we leave less or nothing at all.   Therefore, it all comes down to whether or not we feel as if our waiter or waitress has adequately met our needs.  It all revolves around our egos and the tip we leave, or don't leave, is in direct proportion to the degree with which we feel our expectations have been met. The amount of the tip says as much about the generosity of the person being served as it does about the service given by the waiter or waitress. 

Would it surprise you to know that Jesus faced this same situation?  He wasn't sitting in a restaurant and he wasn't deciding how much tip to leave.  Instead, his own disciples were vying for positions of importance in his kingdom.  James and John asked Christ if they could occupy the thrones immediately to his right and left, which are elite positions.  The other disciples were very upset at learning of this request.  It could have been because they thought James and John out of line, or it could have been because they felt they were beaten to the draw.

Whatever the reason for their anger, Jesus sent a very strong message about being a servant.  In Mark 10:43-45, Jesus makes the following observation, "but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. “And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”  The requirements for true greatness, according to Christ, are the exact opposite of the world's standards.  We are not here to be served, but to serve others. 

In all points, the life of Jesus was a life of service.  He provided food for five thousand people instead of asking for something to eat himself. When there was no wine at the wedding, he provided it.  When people couldn't walk, he healed them.  When they couldn't see, he opened their eyes, and when they couldn't hear, he unstopped their ears. When a woman was entrapped and accused by her peers, he came to her defense.  When we couldn't come to God on our own, he gave himself as our ransom so that we could be reconciled to God.  The life of Jesus was one of constant self-sacrifice and service.  If Christ were waiting tables today, he would refuse the tip, simply saying, "the service is included."  Could the same be said of us today?

The Road Of Service

O

ne afternoon on my way to work, I passed a sign on the Interstate that I had seen several times but never really noticed.  Sound familiar?  I always “see” things but only take “notice” of them later.  This sign was not extraordinary; in fact it was very simple and plain.  It bore a simple message:  Entrance to Service Road.  That was the message, a mere set of simple directions with an arrow indicating where people should exit if they wanted to take the service access.

The problem was that very few, if any cars, were taking that exit.  Most of the cars zoomed right by the sign, not even giving it a minute’s notice.  Yet, that sign stood faithfully there, displaying its message for the few people who would dare venture down this road. 

            As I glanced down the exit, I noticed that the service road paralleled the Interstate.  It had a few twists and turns and the surface was not as smooth as the one covering the main highway.  In addition, there were fewer lanes and they were closer together and the service road contained traffic lights.  This would mean more stops and a slower drive for those on the service road than for those taking the faster, more convenient Interstate.

What a message for us today.  In life, we are always in the fast lane.  We always want to get where we are going as quickly as possible and it doesn’t matter whom we pass in order to get there.  We change lanes at will, jockeying for a better position so we can save ourselves the trouble and the hassle of contending with traffic jams and slow drivers.  Whenever we make plans for our future, they always contain the fast track and rarely if ever, do we take a side road.  We zip down life’s path at blinding speed, passing all the exits for service roads, taking them only when our path is blocked and there is no other option available to us.

This is exactly the opposite of Christ’s command for our lives.  Jesus always took the service road, never the main highway!  He always encouraged his disciples to serve others, never to be served themselves.  He taught them that the way of salvation was the straight and narrow path, not the main thoroughfare.  His example showed them that the service road always parallels life’s main highway.  It has more stops, more turns, and its lanes are narrower.  Jesus also pointed out that the road of service is always open because so few choose to follow it.

H

ow long has it been since you got off the main highway onto the service road?  Are you barreling down life’s highway today trying to get ahead of the guy in front?  Are you so intent on the road ahead that you miss the signs telling you of your opportunities to serve others?  Let the words of Jesus in Mark 10:43-45 serve as your invitation to get off the main road and onto the road of service today:  "But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Break Those Beans

G

reen beans are my favorite vegetable, especially when they’re fresh.  When I was growing up, our family had a vegetable garden every summer.  My dad would plow the field, sow the seed, stake the tomato plants, and wait for nature to take her course.  In a very short time, the plants began to sprout and before I knew it, I found myself in the garden, bent over in the bean row, picking beans.

 

Despite my protest, I found myself several times a week in the garden, always picking green beans.  Since they were my favorite vegetable, my mom said I should be grateful to pick them.  After all, I certainly didn’t mind eating them once they were on the table.  I just didn’t like picking them.  I guess you could say I suffered from the Little Red Hen syndrome, I didn’t want to work; I just wanted to eat.

Picking the beans was just the beginning.  After our work in the garden was over, we went home to string, break, and can the beans.  My job was breaking the beans into small pieces.  I didn’t like stringing them, and when I tried, I never got all the strings removed.  So, I sat with a large bowl on my lap, breaking the beans my mom and the other adults placed there.  As soon as I emptied the bowl and got excited about being through, someone would dump a large handful of beans into it and I had to start breaking all over again.  It seemed we would never finish with those beans.

Every time I asked to do something else, my mom would always say the same thing, Blake, break those beans!”  She kept telling me to keep my eye on the goal, fresh beans on the table, even in the winter.  This didn’t help much but I kept at my goal until we finished.  Later

during the year, my work paid off as we enjoyed fresh, canned vegetables throughout the winter.

                

There is a good application to the Christian life in this story from my childhood.  Much too often Christians take on too many responsibilities.  We want to be involved in every aspect of our church. Unless we have our hands in every church-related activity or unless we support every type of religious program, we believe we fail in our efforts to live a life pleasing to God.  As a result, we do many things but we do none of them well.

This was not David’s focus in Psalm 27:4.  On the contrary, David suggests that a directed, focused, approach in seeking God provides the greatest reward.  “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”  David’s goal is clear.  The entire focus of his life is God.  He does not seek to be a preacher; he does not intend to teach a Sunday school class, he is not interested in joining committees or being an active participant in every charity drive.  Instead, his focus is on dwelling in God’s house and gazing on his beauty every day of his life.

I

 am not suggesting that preaching, teaching, or volunteering are bad pursuits.  However, it does seem that until our focus becomes God and God alone, we miss the point of the Christian life.  As long as we insist on selecting our place of service, the emphasis is on us.  When we shift our attention from what we want or what we think we should do to what God wants and what he thinks, we will find that life will take on a new perspective.  Jesus himself spoke to this point when Martha complained that Mary wasn’t helping her. Jesus simply said, “but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:42).  Yes, we only need one thing, to concentrate on God and his will.  Are you focused today?