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Service
Related
Joy
in Service
Dr.
William Ott and his wife spent their 1986 vacation ministering in the
After
returning home
Dr. Ott told Dr. Maurice Irvine
a colleague
about his
summer. Commenting on this
conversation
Dr. Irvine said he detected in Dr. Ott a deep
inner sense of
satisfaction
something he could not possibly have found in a whole summer
vacationing and having fun. He had
experienced the supreme
joy
that comes from unselfish service. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Objectives
In Alive in Wonderland
at one
point Alice says to the Cheshire Cat
“Would you tell me
please
which way I
ought to go from here?”
“That’s depends a good deal on where
you want to get to
” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where
” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you
go
” said the Cat.
As with
Opposition
The way is which we need to stand in
the face of opposition is aptly described by a word the British use: “steady.”
To illustrate this word’s meaning
picture a British commander in the
nineteenth century as he and his regiment are being approached by a horde of
Bedouins brandishing swords. As he awaits the battle
he reviews his past
experiences in battle and his regiment’s capabilities and-being confident of
victory-also considers the future sense of accomplishment this experience will
give him. And so he remains “steady.”
As believers
we should learn to rely
on the testimony of God’s past accomplishments
his present work in our lives
and his promise of ultimate victory
and thus remain “steady” in the face of
opposition. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Responsibility
When a flock of crows invades a field
of corn
the birds customarily station two sentries in a nearby tree to keep
watch and warn the rest of any danger. In Character Sketches
Bill Gothard
relates the story of two people who succeeded in sneaking up on the flock and
scaring them before the sentries had given warning. The birds burst into
flight
immediately attacked and killed the two sentries
and only then flew
off. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Servanthood
D.L. Moody once said
“The measure of
a man is not how many servants he has
but how many men he serves.” ── Michael
P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Servanthood
The Navigators are will known for
their emphasis on having an attitude of servanthood. A businessman once asked
Lome Sanny
then president of the Navigators
how he could know when he had a
servantlike attitude. The answer was
“By how you act when you are treated like
one.” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Servanthood
A sign read
“There is no limit to the
good that a man can do
if he doesn’t care who gets the credit.”
If you really don’t care who gets the
credit
then you can just enjoy yourself and do all kinds of good deeds for
others. Just be glad that it is done
and don’t worry about who gets the credit
on earth
because you heavenly Father knows. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Servanthood
A student at a Bible school in the
Philippines became disturbed over the condition of the men’s rest rooms
since
they always seemed to be neglected in the cleaning routine. When nothing was
done to eliminate the filth
he took matters into his own hands and complained
to the principal of the school. A little while later
the student noticed that
the problem was being corrected
but he saw with amazement that the man with
the mop and pail in hand was the principal himself!
Later the student commented
“I thought
that he would call a janitor
but he cleaned the toilets himself. It was a
major lesson to me on being a servant and
of course
it raised a question in
my own mind is why I hadn’t taken care of the problem!” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Servanthood
A.E. Whitham has an imaginary preacher
give the following report of a visit to the New Jerusalem:
“In my wandering
I came upon the
museum in the city of our dreams
I went in
and an attendant conducted me
round. There was some old armor there
much bruised with battle. Many things
were conspicuous by their absence. I saw nothing of Alexander’s or napoleon’s.
There was no pope’s ring
nor even the ink bottle that Luther is said to have
thrown at the devil. I saw a widow’s mite and the feather of a little bird. I
saw some swaddling clothes
a hammer and three nails and a few thorns. I saw a
sponge that had once been dipped in vinegar and a small piece of silver. Whilst
I was turning over a simple drinking cup which had a very honorable place
I
whispered to the attendant: ‘Have you got a towel and basin among your
collection?’ ‘No
’ he said
‘not here. You see
they are in constant use.’” ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Qualifications for Service
D.L. Moody aptly observed
“We may
easily be too big for God to use
but never too small.” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Rewards of Service
Many years ago a humble pastor served
a church in a little country town. His ministry was quiet
and few souls were
brought to Christ there. Year in and year out
the work became more and more
discouraging. It was only years later that the faithful minister found great
joy in the knowledge that one of those he had won to Christ was Charles Haddon
Spurgeon
a man who was later used by God to bring multitudes to his Son.
Humble service is rewarded now and certainly will be rewarded even more when
Christ comes. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Stewardship
First Corinthians 4:1 tells us to be
“stewards of the mysteries of God” (RSV). If you have ever been on a ship
you
know what a ship’s steward is. Or is you have ever been on an airplane
you
know what a steward or a stewardess is. That person does not own the airplane
or anything on the plane. The company owns everything
but he or she is
entrusted with its care. That steward has been given the responsibility of
taking the goods that belong to a higher authority and dispensing it to the
people for their benefit. That is a steward-on an airplane or ship-and in the
spiritual realm as well. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Stewardship
Epictetus
a Stoic Philosopher
is
recorded as having said the following:
“Never say about anything
‘I have
lost it
’ but only ‘I have given it back.’ Is your child dead? It has been
given back. Is your wife dead? She has been given back. ‘I have had my farm
taken away.’ Very well
this too has been given back. Yet it was a rascal who
took it away. But what concern is it of yours by whose instrumentality the
Giver called what concern is it of yours by whose instrumentality the Giver
called for its return? So long as He gives it to you
take care of it as of a
thing that is not your own
as travelers treat their inn.”
If this non-Christian could see all of
life as a stewardship
how much more should we believers? ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Stewardship
In the movie Papillon
the main
character was a criminal who was imprisoned for life for crimes against the
French state. The movie portrayed the dreams he had while in prison. In on
dream
he stood before a tribunal for a crime. He pleaded with the judge that
he was not guilty of the crime for which he was being tried. The judge replied
that he was not being tried for that crime
but for a crime that is the most
heinous crime of the human race. Papillon asked what crime it was. He replied
“The crime of a wasted life.” Papillon wept
“Guilty
guilty.” The judge
pronounced the sentence of death. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Commitment
A
certain dog had always boasted of his ability as a runner. Then one day a
rabbit that he was chasing got away. This brought a lot of ridicule from the
other dogs because of his previous boasting. His explanation: “You must
remember that the rabbit was running for his life
while I was only running for
my dinner.”
Commitment
On
August 11
1978
Double Eagle II
a large helium balloon
and her crew of three
eased into an almost windless sky above the potato fields of Maine. Their
destination was
Following Christ is the
wisest choice a man can make
but it does not come cheap. Just as for these
balloonists many important things had to be abandoned because they weighed them
down
so for the believer.
P.S. The balloonists’
mission was accomplished.
Commitment
For
many days an old farmer had been plowing with an ox and a mule together and
working them pretty hard. The ox said to the mule
“Let’s play sick today and
rest a little while.” But the old mule said
“No
we need to get the work done
for the season is short.”
But the ox played sick
and the farmer brought him fresh hay and corn and made him comfortable. When
the mule came in from plowing
the ox asked how he made out. “We didn’t get as
much done
but we made it all right
” answered the mule. Then the ox asked
“What did the old man say about me?” “Nothing
” said the mule.
The next day the ox
thinking he had a good thing going
played sick again. When the mule came in
again very tired
the ox asked
“How did it go?” The mule said
“All right
I
guess
but we didn’t get much done.” Then the ox also asked
“What did the old
man say about me?” “Nothing to me
” was the reply
“but he did stop and have a
long talk with the butcher.”
Commitment
John
Audubon
the well-known naturalist and artist
practiced great self-mastery in
order to learn more about birds. Counting his physical comforts as nothing
he
would rise at midnight night after night and go into the swamps to study certain
nighthawks. He would crouch motionless in the dark and fog
hoping to discover
just one more additional fact about a single species.
During one summer
Audubon
repeatedly visited the bayous near
If a man could be so
disciplined for a temporal and physical reward
how much more committed should
the child of God be for the imperishable prize before him?
Commitment
Many
men of the world have understood the necessity for commitment if they are to
accomplish great things. For example
when Spanish explorer Cortez landed at
Vera Cruz in 1519 to begin his conquest of
As part of our commitment
as Christ’s disciples
we must purposefully destroy all avenues of retreat. We
must resolve that whatever price is required for being his follower
we will
pay it.
Commitment
In
the 1976 Summer Olympics
Shun Fujimoto competed in the team gymnastics
competition for Japan. In a quest for the gold medal
Fujimoto suffered a
broken right knee in the floor exercise. But his injury did not stop him
for
during the next week he competed in his strongest event
the rings. His routine
was excellent
but he astounded everyone by squarely dismounting with a triple
somersault twist on a broken right kneel. When asked concerning his feat
he
said
“Yes
the pain shot through me like a knife. It brought tears to my eyes.
But now I have a gold medal and the pain is gone.”
Commitment
Henry
Thoreau
that rugged New England individualist of the nineteenth century
once
went to jail rather than pay his poll tax to a state that supported slavery.
Thoreau’s good friend Ralph Waldo Emerson hurred to visit him in jail and
peering through the bars
exclaimed: “Why
Henry
what are you doing in there?”
The uncowed Thoreau
replied
“Nay
Ralph
the question is
what are you doing out there?”
Commitment
The
story is told that when James Calvert went out as a missionary to the cannibals
of the Fiji Islands
the Captain of the ship that had carried him there sought
to turn him back by saying
“You will lose your life and the lives of those
with you if you go among such savages.” Calvert’s reply well demonstrates the
cost of commitment: “We died before we came here.”
Commitment
A
mission society is reported to have written to David Livingstone: “Have you
found a good road to where you are? If so
we want to send other men to join
you.” Livingstone replied: “If you have men who will come only if they know
there is a good road
I don’t want them. I want men who will come if there is
no road at all.”
Commitment
Robert
Chapman of Barnstaple
a great friend of the late George Muller of Bristol
was
once asked
“Would you not advise young Christians to do something for the
Lord?” “No
” was the reply
“I should advise them to do everything for the
Lord.”
Communist
Commitment
”If
you ask me what is the distinguishing mark of the Communist
what is it that
Communists most outstandingly have in common
I would not say
as some might
expect
their ability to hate…
I would say beyond any shadow of doubt it is
their idealism
their zeal
dedication
devotion to their cause and willingness
to sacrifice.”—Douglas Hyde
former head of the Communist Party of Great
Britain
before his conversion to Catholicism.
Cost
of Commitment
A
hen and a pig approached a church and read the advertised sermon topic: “What
can we do to help the poor?” Immediately the hen suggested they feed them bacon
and eggs. The pig thought for a moment and said
“There is only one thing wrong
with feeding bacon and eggs to the poor. For you it requires only a
contribution
but for me it requires total commitment!”
Cost
of Commitment
And
elderly Christian man in Communist-controlled Budapest remarked when asked
about the effects of persecution and discrimination on the lives of Christians:
“it is like the deep
fast-flowing Danube River. The banks of the river were
artificially narrowed throughout the city of
Believers under
restrictions and persecution have limited freedom and few political options
but their narrowed lives have found great depth by going deeper in Christ.
Experience
It has been said that there
is not a man or woman alive who could not retire comfortably in their old age
if they could sell their experience for what it cost them.
Experience
Experience is a wonderful
thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
Experience
A useful axe must be sharp
but to have a sharp axe you must be willing to allow it to suffer loss on the
grindstone. In a similar way
if you want to live a life that is useful in service
to God
you must be willing to allow him to put you on the grindstone of trials
and testings so that you may be made sharp through loss.
Priority of Service
When Dr. W.A. Criswell
pastor of the largest Southern Baptist church in the world
was preaching in
the
One
day he pulled his pony to a stop and began to talk to him. He said
“Paddy
there is something wrong. We are not doing it right. I am afraid we have things
turned around an dour priorities are not where they ought to be. Maybe we ought
to serve God and place him first in our lives.” Kraft then drove home and made
a covenant that for the rest of his life he would first serve God and then
would work as God directed.
Many
years after this
Dr. Criswell heard James Kraft say
“I would rather be a
layman in the
Qualifications for Service
D.L. Moody aptly observed
“We may easily be too big for God to use
but never too small.”
Rewards of Service
Many years ago a humble
pastor served a church in a little country town. His ministry was quiet
and
few souls were brought to Christ there. Year in and year out
the work became
more and more discouraging. It was only years later that the faithful minister
found great joy in the knowledge that one of those he had won to Christ was
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
a man who was later used by God to bring multitudes to
his Son. Humble service is rewarded now and certainly will be rewarded even
more when Christ comes.
Stewardship
First Corinthians 4:1 tells
us to be “stewards of the mysteries of God” (RSV). If you have ever been on a
ship
you know what a ship’s steward is. Or is you have ever been on an
airplane
you know what a steward or a stewardess is. That person does not own
the airplane or anything on the plane. The company owns everything
but he or
she is entrusted with its care. That steward has been given the responsibility
of taking the goods that belong to a higher authority and dispensing it to the
people for their benefit. That is a steward-on an airplane or ship-and in the
spiritual realm as well.
Stewardship
Epictetus
a Stoic
Philosopher
is recorded as having said the following:
“Never
say about anything
‘I have lost it
’ but only ‘I have given it back.’ Is your
child dead? It has been given back. Is your wife dead? She has been given back.
‘I have had my farm taken away.’ Very well
this too has been given back. Yet
it was a rascal who took it away. But what concern is it of yours by whose
instrumentality the Giver called what concern is it of yours by whose
instrumentality the Giver called for its return? So long as He gives it to you
take care of it as of a thing that is not your own
as travelers treat their
inn.”
If
this non-Christian could see all of life as a stewardship
how much more should
we believers?
Stewardship
In the movie Papillon
the
main character was a criminal who was imprisoned for life for crimes against
the French state. The movie portrayed the dreams he had while in prison. In on
dream
he stood before a tribunal for a crime. He pleaded with the judge that
he was not guilty of the crime for which he was being tried. The judge replied
that he was not being tried for that crime
but for a crime that is the most
heinous crime of the human race. Papillon asked what crime it was. He replied
“The crime of a wasted life.” Papillon wept
“Guilty
guilty.” The judge
pronounced the sentence of death.
Tact
The new minister’s family
was presented with a pie baked by a congregational member who was a rather poor
cook. The pie was inedible
so the minister’s wife reluctantly threw it into
the garbage. The preacher was faced with the problem of thanking the baker and
at the same time being truthful. After much thought
he sent the following
note: “Thank you for being so kind and thoughtful. I can assure you that a pie
like yours never lasts long at our house.”
Tact
An English Puritan
Quire
Bruen
was at a dinner given by the sheriff
and a toast to the prince was
proposed. As the cup of wine was passed along the line
they looked to see what
the Puritan would do. He said
“You may drink to his health
and I will pray
for his health
” and so passed the cup.
Zeal
Before the opening day of
pheasant season
two city-dwellers who aspired to be hunters bought a bird dog
having heard that such a dog would make for much more enjoyable and profitable
hunting. When the big day came
they were up bright and early. They hunted all
day
but as dusk began to overtake them
they hadn’t fired a single shot. The
hunters were exhausted and frustrated over the poor performance of their bird
dog. Finally one said
“Okay
Joe
throw him up once more and if he don’t fly
this time
I’m gonna shoot him!”
Servanthood
You know Lord how I serve
You
with
great emotional fervor
in
the limelight.
You
know how eagerly I speak for You
At
a women’ club.
You
know how I effervesce when I promote
Fellowship
group.
You
know my genuine enthusiasm
At
a Bible study.
But
how would I react
I wonder
If
You pointed to a basin of water
And
asked me to wash the calloused feet
Of
a bent and wrinkled old woman
Day
after day
Month
after month
In
a room where nobody saw
And
nobody knew?— Ruth Harms Calkin
Service
There’s a clever young guy
named Somebody Else
There’s
nothing this guy can’t do.
He
is busy from morning till way late at night
Just
substituting for you.
You’re
asked to do this or you’re asked to do that
And
what is your ready reply?
Get
somebody Else to do that job
He’ll
do it much better than I.
So
much to do in this weary old world-
So
much and worker so few
And
Somebody Else
all weary and worn
Is
still substituting for you.
The
next time you’re asked to do something worthwhile
Just
give this ready reply:
If
Somebody Else can give time and support
My
goodness
so can I!
── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Most people wish to serve
God -- but in an advisory capacity only.
Quoted in Sunday
Express
London.
Self-righteous service
comes through human effort. True service comes from a relationship with the
divine Other deep inside.
Self-righteous service is impressed with the "big deal." True service
finds it almost impossible to distinguish the small from the large service.
Self-righteous service requires external rewards. True service rests contented
in hiddenness.
Self-righteous service is highly concerned about results. True service is free
of the need to calculate results.
Self-righteous service picks and chooses whom to serve. True service is indiscriminate
in its ministry.
Self-righteous service is affected by moods and whims. True service ministers
simply and faithfully because there is a need.
Self-righteous service is temporary. True service is a life-style.
Self-righteous service is without sensitivity. It insists on meeting the need
even when to do so would be destructive. True service can withhold the service
as freely as perform it.
Self-righteous service fractures community. True service
on the other hand
builds community.
Richard Foster
Celebration
of Discipline
"The Discipline of Service."
During World War II
England needed to increase its production of coal. Winston Churchill called
together labor leaders to enlist their support. At the end of his presentation
he asked them to picture in their minds a parade which he knew would be held in
Picadilly Circus after the war.
First
he said
would come
the sailors who had kept the vital sea lanes open. Then would come the soldiers
who had come home from Dunkirk and then gone on to defeat Rommel in Africa.
Then would come the pilots who had driven the Luftwaffe from the sky.
Last of all
he said
would come a long line of sweat-stained
soot-streaked men in miner's caps.
Someone would cry from the crowd
'And where were you during the critical days
of our struggle?' And from ten thousand throats would come the answer
'We were
deep in the earth with our faces to the coal.'"
Not all the jobs in a
church are prominent and glamorous. But it is often the people with their
"facs to the coal" who help the church accomplish its mission.
Don McCullough
Waking
from the American Dream.
Unamuno
the Spanish
philosopher
tells about the Roman aqueduct at Segovia
in his native Spain. It
was built in 109 A.D. For eighteen hundred years
it carried cool water from
the mountains to the hot and thirsty city. Nearly sixty generations of men
drank from its flow. Then came another generation
a recent one
who said
"This aqueduct is so great a marvel that it ought to be preserved for our
children
as a museum piece. We shall relieve it of its centuries-long
labor."
They did; they laid modern
iron pipes. They gave the ancient bricks and mortar a reverent rest. And the
aqueduct began to fall apart. The sun beating on the dry mortar caused it to
crumble. The bricks and stone sagged and threatened to fall. What ages of
service could not destroy idleness disintegrated.
Resource
Sept./ Oct.
1992
p. 4.
In his book 70 X 7
The
Freedom of Forgiveness
David Ugsberger tells of General William Booth
the
founder of the salvation Army
who had lost his eyesight. His son Bramwell was
given the difficult task of telling his father there would be no recovery.
"Do you mean that I am blind?" the General asked. "I hear we
must contemplate that
" his son replied. The father continued
"I
shall never see your face again?" "No
probably not in this
world." "Bramwell
" said General Booth
"I have done what I
could for God and for His people with my eyes. Now I shall do what I can for
God without my eyes."
David Ugsberger
70 X
7
The Freedom of Forgiveness.
The great violinist
Nicolo Paganini
willed his marvelous violin to Genoa -- the city of his birth
-- but only on condition that the instrument never be played upon. It was an
unfortunate condition
for it is a peculiarity of wood that as long as it is
used and handled
it shows little wear. As soon as it is discarded
it begins
to decay. The exquisite
mellow-toned violin has become worm-eaten in its
beautiful case
valueless except as a relic. The moldering instrument is a
reminder that a life withdrawn from all service to others loses its meaning.
Bits & Pieces
June 25
1992.
During the American
Revolution a man in civilian clothes rode past a group of soldiers repariing a
small defensive barrier. their leader was shouting instructions
but making no
attempt to help them. Asked why by the rider
he retorted with great dignity
"Sir
I am a corporal!" The stranger apologized
dismounted
and
proceeded to help the exhausted soldiers. The job done
he turned to the corporal
and said
"Mr. Corporal
next time you have a job like this and not enough
men to do it
go to your commander-in-chief
and I will come and help you
again." It was none other than George Washington.
Today in the Word
March 6
1991.
Franklin Roosevelt's
closest adviser during much of his presidency was a man named Harry Hopkins.
During World War II
when his influence with Roosevelt was at its peak
Hopkins
held no official Cabinet position. Moreover
Hopkins's closeness to Roosevelt
caused many to regard him as a shadowy
sinister figure. As a result he was a
major political liability to the President. A political foe once asked Roosevelt
"Why do you keep Hopkins so close to you? You surely realize that people
distrust him and resent his influence." Roosevelt replied
"Someday
you may well be sitting here where I am now as President of the United States.
And when you are
you'll be looking at that door over there and knowing that
practically everybody who walks through it wants something out of you. You'll
learn what a lonely job this is
and you'll discover the need for somebody like
Harry Hopkins
who asks for nothing except to serve you." Winston
Churchill rated Hopkins as one of the half-dozen most powerful men in the world
in the early 1940s. And the sole source of Hopkins's power was his willingness
to serve.
Discipleship Journal
Issue 39
(1987)
p. 5.
In 1878
when William
Booth's Salvation Army was beginning to make its mark
men and women from all
over the world began to enlist. One man
who had once dreamed of becoming a
bishop
crossed the Atlantic from America to England to enlist. Samuel Brengle
left a fine pastorate to join Booth's Army. But at first General Booth accepted
his services reluctantly and grudgingly. Booth said to Brengle
"You've
been your own boss too long." And in order to instill humility in Brengle
he set him to work cleaning the boots of other trainees. Discouraged
Brengle
said to himself
"Have I followed my own fancy across the Atlantic in
order to black boots?" And then
as in a vision
he saw Jesus bending over
the feet of rough
unlettered fishermen. "Lord
" he whispered
"you
washed their feet; I will black their shoes."
K Hughes
Liberating
Ministry From The Success Syndrome
Tyndale
1988
p. 45.
In the spring of 1883 two
young men graduated from medical school. The two differed from one another in
both appearance and ambition. Ben was short and stocky. Will was tall and thin.
Ben dreamed of practicing medicine on the East Coast. will wanted to work in a
rural community. Ben begged his friend to go to New York where they could both
make a fortune. Will refused. His friend called him foolish for wanting to
practice medicine in the Midwest. "But
" will said
"I want
first of all to be a great surgeon...the very best
if I have the
ability." Years later the wealthy and powerful came from around the world
to be treated by Will at his clinic...the Mayo Clinic.
Today in the Word
July
1990
p. 17.
It had been a long day on
Capitol Hill for Senator John Stennis. He was looking forward to a bit of
relaxion when he got home. After parking the car
he began to walk toward his
front door. Then it happened. Two people came out of the darkness
robbed him
and shot him twice. News of the shooting of Senator Stennis
the chairman of
the powerful Armed Forces Committee
shocked Washington and the nation. For
nearly seven hours
Senator Stennis was on the operating table at Walter Reed
Hospital. Less than two hours later
another politician was driving home when
he heard about the shooting. He turned his car around and drove directly to the
hospital. In the hospital
he noticed that the staff was swamped and could not
keep up with the incoming calls about the Senator's condition. He spotted an
unattended switchboard
sat down
and voluntarily went to work. He continued
taking calls until daylight. Sometime during that next day
he stood up
stretched
put on his overcoat
and just before leaving
he introduced himself
quietly to the other operator
"I'm Mark Hatfield. Happy to help
out." Then Senator Mark Hatfield unobtrusively walked out. The press could
hardly handle that story. There seemed to be no way for a conservative
Republican to give a liberal Democrat a tip of the hat
let alone spend hours
doing a menial task and be "happy to help out."
Knofel Stanton
Heaven
Bound Living
Standard
1989
p. 35.
Years ago
the Salvation
Army was holding an international convention and their founder
Gen. William
Booth
could not attend because of physical weakness. He cabled his convention
message to them. It was one word: "OTHERS."
Unknown.
Whatever is done for God
without respect of its comparative character as related to other acts
is
service
and only that is service. Service is
comprehensively speaking
doing
the will of God. He is the object. All is for Him
for His sake
as unto the
Lord
not as unto man. Hence
even the humblest act of humblest disciple acquires
a certain divine quality by its being done with reference to Him.
The supreme test of
service is this: 'For whom am I doing this?' Much that we call service to
Christ is not such at all....If we are doing this for Christ
we shall not care
for human reward or even recognition. Our work must again be tested by three
propositions: Is it work from God
as given us to do from Him; for God
as
finding in Him its secret of power; and with God
as only a part of His work in
which we engage as co-workers with Him."
A.T. Pierson wrote
The
Truth.