The Servant Test

“The true test of my servant heart is being treated like one.”

At times we all feel used, abused, taken advantage of, put upon. On those occasions, in those situations, have you found it hard to remember that Jesus called us to be servants; that the greatest will be the one who serves? Grrr. I hate that when that happens . . . my pride rises up, my feelings get hurt, I get impatient, I pick up an offense—and my “servanthood” evaporates into thin air. And often I am even certain that my rights, my boundaries, my perspective is justified.

As summer is upon us, routines fall by the wayside. Heat takes a toll on good humor. Kids need ferried and funded and friended—leaving us feeling frazzled. Let’s offer the sacrifice of a humble heart and give our service cheerfully “as unto the Lord.” Seems He told us that He resists the proud, but draws near to the humble. And oh, I do so want His presence and favor in my life! How about you?

Lost and Found

Something I thought lost forever has been found! When I was fourteen, my family sold everything and moved to Australia. Our departing luggage was overweight, so my siblings and I left our Bibles in the basement of the friends (an elderly widow and son) where we stayed our last night in the U.S. My dad promised to replace them, and I still have that dainty white leather Oxford Press Bible. But the one I left behind fifty-five years ago, the one with a long list of verses I memorized and recorded in my childish script, was returned to me this past Mother’s Day! My cousin discovered it when she packed up her parents’ belongings to move them into assisted living. But the tricky part is that at the time of our move, my aunt and uncle did not live in the same town as our friends. And to make the discovery even more mysterious, twenty years ago my aunt and uncle sold their farm and most of their belongings and moved hundreds of miles away to live near my cousin, and the widow and her son both died many years ago. How my Bible got to my relatives and made the move with them and then remained tucked away in a box for half a century remains an enigma. Made me reflect on our God; He never loses anything . . . and not just Bibles. WE are engraved on the palms of His hands. Isa. 49:14-16

Armed and Dangerous

My study in I Peter has been rich. After all, you can’t talk about the role of authority in our lives—especially in independent-minded America, without stimulating a lively discussion. Or how about the role of women in the home, in the church, in the community? And then there’s that challenging word, “suffering,” that doesn’t quite fit into our “faith” theology or jive with our misconception that “I’ve been good so therefore God owes me a life of ease.” In fact, Peter uses military terminology, “arm yourself,” to tell us to mentally prepare to deal with hard times that are part of God’s will for us. (I Peter 3:14-4:1)

                Seeing the devastation caused by earthquakes, tsunamis, and aftershocks in Haiti, Japan, Indonesia and New Zealand, for example, we can see why the Apostle Peter would write to First Century suffering Christians and tell them to view hardship and persecution, both personal and societal, as an open door for ministering to people’s needs and for sharing the hope we have in Christ. Let's be alert and see life as filled with opportunities!