Dear Friends,
As a young man, I was an avid tennis player who had all the right equipment, all the right clothing, and a library of books full of tips on how to be a better player. One day I was walking through a bookstore when the book, “Improving Your Serve” by Charles R. Swindoll caught my eye. My serve was already decent, but if Chuck could help me — why not give it a try? I bought the book without reading the sub-title, “The Art of Unselfish Living.”
The first chapter —“Who, Me a Servant? You Gotta Be Kidding!” — hit me right where it hurt. I realized I had been spending much more time practicing my tennis serve than I ever spent practicing my Christianity by serving others. In 1st Peter 4:10 (NIV) we read, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
It turned out I was much more gifted as a servant than I had ever been as a tennis player. I didn’t give up the sport; I just discovered a new love. Like Peter, who had denied Christ, I heard the words, “Feed my sheep,” and found myself working at a food bank. It was a blast! I was blessed far more than the people we served.
As I have moved into new areas of service, I try to follow the words in Ephesians 6:7-8: “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do ….”
E.B. White, the author of Charlotte’s Web, wrote, “I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world.”
Why not both? “
We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” Romans 12:6-8
Had I not found Chuck Swindoll’s book, I might never have discovered the joy that comes from serving others. I might have ended up like the hermit described in the poem below.
“The Hermit”
He spent his whole life looking up just waiting for the Lord
The only time his head looked down was when he searched the Word.
Imagine his discomfort, when Christ came and he found
That he had never learned to love; he’d never looked around.
He’d never helped a wounded friend; he’d never served the poor.
He’d never even noticed when they knocked upon his door.
He’d never dried another’s tears, nor cried tears of his own.
His solitary heartbeat was all he’d ever known.
But God’s a god of mercy, and God’s a god of grace
The hermit finally got his wish; he saw God face to face.
And in a gentle voice God said, “At last your Lord you’ve found,
But you’d have found me sooner had you learned to look around.
You can find me in a neighbor; you can find me in a friend.
You can find me in a last breath as another meets his end.
You can find me in a child kneeling down to say her prayers;
You can find me, and in finding, you can find the One who cares.
Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ
Because He Loves Us Press 