Posted on September 18, 2022 Posted By: HCCCategories: journey
Heartland Community Church
THE JOURNEY
Being Last
By Molly Fisher
Last week Dan asked us to consider if we’ve ever given something up for something better. This week Brad talked about the joy offered us by giving of our time and serving others – a little like giving up something (time) for something better (people). Though Jesus deserved to be first, he used his position to serve others. He came and he served because people matter to God. When we serve others, we make our faith visible so that others can see that they matter to us. Plus, it’s good for our soul, and brings us joy. What a fantastic bonus!
Honestly, serving isn’t always fun. It often is, but it can be hard, it can feel like an obligation, and it can definitely be a sacrifice, but we were created, each of us, to join God in the work Jesus is doing (Eph 2:10) Jesus modeled going to where those who needed him most were and did not take his place among the social elite. Often doing the right thing or serving others, does not give us joy in the moment, but will always please God. I can compare it to exercise for me – I may not always want to do it, and I don’t really enjoy it in the moment, but I am always glad when I take the time to do it. Serving others and giving your time is so much more valuable than that!
I have found that serving while using the gifts God has given me does so much good for my soul, and often brings me joy. As a teen, I helped with youth ministry, and learned a ton about myself – things I was good at as well as things that needed work. I figured out that I enjoy being around tweens and teens and love to see them thrive, so much so I became a teacher. That job continues to feel like a service or a ministry because it instills value both in my students, but also in me, and it brings me joy (most of the time :-).
There were many years when I had limited capacity to do more than be a mom. Three little people were all I could manage well. We all have seasons in our life when we have more/less time and more/less capacity than others. As my kids got older, it was fun to find ways we could serve as a family, to allow for my kids to experience the joy of serving.
More recently, as Heartland and everyone began to emerge from covid isolation, I believed so much in the church needing to gather, to foster community, that I went to Jeanine Frost, Heartland’s Volunteer Coordinator, and asked what needed to be done – what could I do to help? Jeanine gave me options, and it’s been fun to try and to learn new things: making (gallons of) coffee, camera, food pantry, praying before services on Sunday mornings, helping distribute food every 3rd Saturday – these things bring me joy, all the time! These areas and more need us all, using our gifts to serve each other and those that are new or near us. Serving allows us to model the life of Jesus and builds community.
Serving is not about earning our salvation, God has already done that work for us. Our good works should simply be a reflection of a changed heart, about following Jesus’ example of serving one another in love and loving others as ourselves (Gal 5:13-14). As followers of Jesus, we are all called to serve one another. People experienced the love of God, by what Jesus did and by how he made them feel. Jesus has given that power to us!
Observe, Reflect, Apply: “…I pray…that your everyday affairs prosper, as well as your soul!” John writes to his friend to tell him how happy he is to hear about the hospitality being offered to friends and strangers. People are noticing and talking about how well they feel served and welcome, they see love in action. By extending hospitality and serving others, our faith becomes visible. Take some time to assess if you may have more capacity to serve in areas/ways God has uniquely gifted you.
(MSG) Sometimes a verse will seem like it has been written very recently, like: “Watch out for people (that)…want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything.” Christ’s way will never do that – when expressed through him and his word it is clear. What muddles your thinking these days? Where do you need clarity?
(NIV) …not being taken captive by hollow and deceptive philosophy. What captivates you?
When you were dead in your sins…God made you alive in Christ: forgiving our sins, canceling our debt, nailed it to the cross disarming the powers of evil for us. This is NOT something we can do for ourselves; not a problem we can solve, something to achieve, a club, or a secret rite. Jesus is the source, and if you would like a way to mark that transition in a visual way, an outward sign of the change inside, it is baptism. Baptism symbolizes death to old ways by going under the water, and then being raised a new creation. Reflect on your own baptism or consider getting baptized if you would like to mark this change in yourself.
*Heartland Baptism Sunday is coming up on Oct 23–details coming soon!
Why do you act like you still belong to this world submitting to its rules? Such regulations have the appearance of wisdom, false humility, little of this world has eternal value besides your soul and relationships. Having been raised with Christ, set your heart, mind and soul on things above, not earthly/temporal things. Pursue the things over which Jesus resides, see things/people from his perspective. What social norms are you adhering to that may no longer even make sense to you, but you‘ve been doing so long you haven‘t taken the time to stop? What is going on around you that needs you to look “up” and take notice and see things from an eternal perspective.
Let go of the old nature, put on the new self – Jesus is all and in all. Search me Lord and know my heart (Psm 139:23-24), help me get rid of those things that linger long after I know better. Git rid of the ill-fitting “clothes“ and irrelevant or hurtful labels. Be defined by Christ. Clean out your closet soon and for every item you give or throw away, also pick an attribute you want to go with it: lying, lust, meanness, irritability, judgements, …
“Dress” in a new fashion wearing what God picked out for you: kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and don’t forget love! Let peace rule in your relationships and cultivate thankfulness. Specifically, and genuinely, say thank-you to someone this week. So many things are out of our control and cannot be earned by striving, but gratitude is a choice.
Read verses 18-20 as a group, and do not be tempted to share one without the others. Right relationships include everyone treating each other the way Jesus treats us all. Serve each other well and whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability – excellence honors God.
{extra journey resources}
CLICK HERE to visit The Bible Project site and explore their super simple, super informative Bible videos (and other resources). You can also download The Bible Project App HERE.
CLICK HERE to get the Read Scripture App, from our friends at The Bible Project.
CLICK HERE for more on how to use the observe-reflect-apply approach to getting the most out of your Bible reading.
The Bible App Get the free YouVersion Bible for your phone, tablet, or computer. Experience the Bible anywhere, with options to highlight, save notes, and share what you are reading with others.
The Bible App For Kids YouVersion partnered with OneHope to develop the Bible App for Kids, designing it specifically to engage children with Bible stories on an age-appropriate level. The Bible App for Kids is a free app for Android, Apple, and Kindle devices, available in over 60 languages.
Bible Gateway Provides advanced Bible searching capabilities, which allow readers to find passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
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