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The ultimate gift we give in Christian service is not our spiritual gifts or our natural talents; the greatest gift always is the giving of ourselves. And when we give anything in the name of Christ, that is ourself reaching out to include the other with us in God.
*Brian K. Wilcox, Writer: OneLife Ministries
How can I be useful, of what service can I be? There is something inside me, what can it be?
*Vincent Van Gough, Painter
Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us daily.
*Sally Koch, Author
The fragrance always remains on the hand that gives the rose.
*Gandhi, Humanitarian
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On a cold winter's day, a 10-year-old boy was standing barefoot in front of a shoe store. He kept looking through the window, shivering with cold. A lady came and asked him what he was doing.
"I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes," said the boy.
The lady led him into the store. She asked the clerk to get a half dozen pair of socks for the boy and for a basin of water and a towel. He brought them. She took the boy to the back part of the store, knelt down, washed his feet, and dried them.
By this time the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she then bought him a pair of shoes. Tying up the remaining socks, she gave them to him. She patted him on the head, asking, "No doubt, my little fellow, you feel more comfortable now?"
She turned to go, and the astonished lad caught her hand. Looking at her, he asked, "Are you God's wife?"
* * *
"In all the ordinary forms of Christian life, service is apt to have more or less of bondage in it; that is, it is done purely as a matter of duty, and often as a trial or cross. Certain things, which at the first may have been a joy and a delight, become after a while weary tasks, performed faithfully, perhaps, but with much secret disinclination, and many confessed or unconfessed wishes that they need not be done at all, or at least that they need not be done so often.
"The soul finds itself saying, instead of the "May I?" of love, the "Must I" of duty. …
"It is always very pleasant to do the things we want to do, even if they are difficult to accomplish, or make our bodies tired. If our will is really set on a thing we view the obstacles that lie in the way of reaching it with a sublime indifference, and we laugh to ourselves at the idea of any opposition or difficulties which might hinder us.…
"What we need in the Christian life is to get believers to want to do God's will as much as other people want to do their own will."
*Hannah Whitall Smith, 1832-1911, from The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life.
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The opening tale shows how simple is Christian service. Often we lose focus on the simplicity of that service. Why do we do this?
We tend so to specialize Christian service that we miss the ordinariness of it. Part of this specialization is thinking of Christian service as for persons especially set aside ~ like ordained clergypersons, missionary, church staff ... ~, or persons who are more gifted or dedicated than we. Yet, Christian service is as ordinary as opportunities arising daily for us to bless someone. These are missed if we are looking for a supposedly grand way to give ourselves or feel we are not qualified to be of service in the name of Jesus.
Also, we may adopt secular models of success, which often do not include the image of servanthood. For years Albert Einstein had two portraits on a wall of his home. They were of two eminent scientists who had been an inspiration to him. Towards the end of his life, Einstein took their pictures down. He put in their place two others, two great humanitarians ~ Gandhi and Albert Schweitzer. He explained that it was time to replace the image of success with the image of service.
Last, we can lose focus on the simplicity of Christian service by having an idealistic image of it. Smith's words above remind us that Christian service can be accompanied by struggle, conflict, frustration, and, yes, exhausten. The initial enthusiasm can be replaced with a sad servitude that lacks passion and gladness.
We must remember who finally ordains us and anoints us to serve. Our service must spring from an awareness that we each are God-called to serve and our service is finally for Christ:
4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. (NLT)
There is no way to lose in Christian service. As a pastor, teacher, and writer, I often do not see the results I would like to see ~ I accent often do not. I do not see the much-needed support from persons, personally or financially. After serving in professional ministry for over thirty years, I am at a church that is going part-time due to financial struggles and after being located in it by my denomination, when the church was not able to sustain a full-time pastor. I am in a job search to at least compensate for what I will not be making after losing my full-time status, and I know without the help of Providence beyond-and-above I may not be able to remain for long part-time. The denomination I serve "seems" to have no full-time work for me in the state I serve, even though I am likely one of the few pastors ~ possibly the sole one ~ in their Church with a worldwide ministry that reaches in one year, and over every continent, more persons than likely many of my colleagues reach in a lifetime with Christian service.
So, how can I say that I refuse to believe I have lost in offering Christian service? I know ultimately whom I serve and who will bless me for faithfulness, and it is not ultimately the denomination I have served in or anyone in it. Even more, I know as Gandhi, that the hand that offers the rose retains the aroma of the rose. Also, I know who decides whether what I do is a "success" or not ~ and it is not the persons who evaluate my work, but the one I pray to as "Our Father...." I know then that God will always use me, with or without the support of those I have served in the past, and often a door closed means a better one is destined by Grace to open.
Finally, God will give us spiritual companions during the challenges of Christian service. These companions will uphold us during times of difficulty and, yes, discouragement. During this challenge in my journey of Christian service, I thank the following persons ~ and more not listed ~ for companionship and support of the service Christ gives me to do: Rocio, my dear wife; Dennis, a man close to God's heart; members of my church, Christ Community United Methodist, Punta Gorda/Harbour Heights, FL; my father, Theo; my brother, Mike; my sister-in-law, Donna; Jennette, with whom I have shared much heartbreak and laughter too; Florence, my second-mom; Rocio and my dogs, St. Francis and Bandit Ty; Rocio and my fish, whose name we gave for him to be a sign of prayer for our future together, Hope; ...
* * *
1) Possibly, today, you will reflect on God's call on your life to service. Explore how your life, in all its ordinariness, is providing daily opportunities for you to serve Christ. Pray to be more aware and open to the opportunities.
2) Have you ever had a door of Christian service to close only to find a better one to open? Explain.
3) What are the gifts ~ or spiritual abilities ~ you have to serve Christ by giving of yourself and your spiritual abilities in love to other persons?
4) Have you had a recent opportunity to serve Christ by helping someone else? Explain.
5) Has someone ministered to you recently in the name of Christ and blessed you thereby? Explain.
6) Do you have a longing to serve Christ in ways you are not at present? Share this with a friend who will pray with you about this.
7) Has God given you a spiritual gift to use in serving that you are not using? How might you begin using this gift, or explore with someone how you might? Explain.
8) Pray the following Prayer~Poem...
May I, O Lord
May I wed my will to You, O Lord,
that fear shall not deter me
from touching Whom you touch
Let not the appearance of the other
or dread of seeing myself in such need, too,
lead me to shun looking eye to eye
Open this heart, so often closed to compassion,
and fill it to overflowing with pure Grace,
that no thought of withholding shall enter the thought
And may the little I do never discourage me from
doing what I am to do
and affection never wane from fatigue
My motive, let it be kind,
and my intent be true,
regardless of the task of goodwill I am called to do
Let me give to others,
but without feeling that in giving
I am giving to one more needy than I
May I never work for reward, temporal or eternal,
or a good name, or out of mere duty, or pride,
or to receive praise from any other
I ask that I not delay to need, given me to do by You,
but embracing my weakness, find in You alone
my strength to do all things graciously and without complaint. Amen.
*Brian K. Wilcox
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*Quotes of Gandhi, Van Gough, and Koch at www.heartquotes.net .
*Charitable contributions would be appreciated to assist Brian in the continuance of his work of ministry. For contributions, contact Brian at barukhattah@embarqmail.com .
*Brian's book of mystical love poetry, An Ache for Union: Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major booksellers, or through the Cokesbury on-line store, at www.cokesbury.com .
*Brian K. Wilcox lives in Punta Gorda, FL, and Clearwater, FL, with his wife, step-son, and two beloved dogs. He serves the Christ Community United Methodist Church, Punta Gorda, FL. Brian is vowed at Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in South Georgia. He lives a vowed, contemplative life and inspires others to experience a more intimate relationship with God-in-Christ. Brian advocates for a spiritually-focused Christianity and renewal of the focus of the Church on addressing the deeper spiritual needs and longings of persons, along with empathic relating with other world religions, East and West. Brian has an independent writing, workshop, and retreat ministry, for all spiritual seekers.
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