Gotta Serve Somebody

December 05, 2011 Monday Message:

“Our love for each other proves that we have gone from death to life.” (1 John 3:14 CEV)

I was at an outdoor event, leading worship for Metro Hope Ministries, a Christian organization that helps people recover from addictions. The program director walked toward me, laughing, pointing, somewhat giddy. So as we say in Minnesota, “What’s the deal?”

He pointed out a young man, one of the residents in their program, who was walking through the picnic area picking up scraps of paper that were blowing around. No one had told him to do it – it wasn’t his assigned task – he just saw that it needed doing and that it would make the place nicer for everyone else. He was serving, doing the right thing for the right reasons, without being told.

The director was ecstatic! He told me, “That’s how we can tell when the guys ‘get it’ - when they start serving others, instead of being only concerned with their own needs. We find that they’ve turned the corner in recovery, and they’ve turned the corner in being a Christian when you catch them serving!”

Pastor Rick Warren teaches, “If I have no love for others, no desire to serve others, and I’m only concerned about my needs, I should question whether Christ is really in my life. A saved heart is one that wants to serve.”

Jesus, our greatest teacher, modeled servanthood for us. So now all we have to do is put the towel over our arm and walk in his footsteps.

May God’s blessings go with you this day.

Norton Lawellin
December 05, 2011 Monday Message:

“Our love for each other proves that we have gone from death to life.” (1 John 3:14 CEV)

I was at an outdoor event, leading worship for Metro Hope Ministries, a Christian organization that helps people recover from addictions. The program director walked toward me, laughing, pointing, somewhat giddy. So as we say in Minnesota, “What’s the deal?”

He pointed out a young man, one of the residents in their program, who was walking through the picnic area picking up scraps of paper that were blowing around. No one had told him to do it – it wasn’t his assigned task – he just saw that it needed doing and that it would make the place nicer for everyone else. He was serving, doing the right thing for the right reasons, without being told.

The director was ecstatic! He told me, “That’s how we can tell when the guys ‘get it’ - when they start serving others, instead of being only concerned with their own needs. We find that they’ve turned the corner in recovery, and they’ve turned the corner in being a Christian when you catch them serving!”

Pastor Rick Warren teaches, “If I have no love for others, no desire to serve others, and I’m only concerned about my needs, I should question whether Christ is really in my life. A saved heart is one that wants to serve.”

Jesus, our greatest teacher, modeled servanthood for us. So now all we have to do is put the towel over our arm and walk in his footsteps.

May God’s blessings go with you this day.

Norton Lawellin