Beisel: Service Doesn’t Announce Itself
July 15th, 2008 at 8:26 am
July 15th, 2008 at 8:26 am
Pr. Beisel hits me between the eyes:
His point in telling me this story was that service doesn’t announce itself. True service, done out of love should not be done expecting accolades and commendations from the recipient. It is quiet, it is humble, it is often unseen, unappreciated, unnoticed. This is true of much of what our wives do each day. They do so much without anyone ever noticing, but if she didn’t do it, it would be noticed!
How many comedy routines have the husband announcing to his wife, “Hey! I took out the trash!” I am convicted.
Let’s expand the thought. We are demanded to produce results increasingly in church. The service that doesn’t announce itself is shunned for visible, hey-look-at-me service in the name of church growth accountability. Would Martha have made a decent Church Growth-er?
We talk about doing evangelism more than do evangelism. We need to look around us and see what God has given us to do, rather than create work with the intention of getting noticed.
Great post, Pastor Beisel.
July 15th, 2008 at 9:04 am
I think you’re right on. Something I didn’t put in my post was how this applies to people in the church that get mad when their donation or their work of service is not appropriately acknowledged by plaques and name plates. Do you think there is a connection? Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount: don’t toot your own horn (with respect to almsgiving, fasting, and praying). I’m sure it could be applied to other areas too.