“No one told them to do it. But they begged and pleaded with us to let them share in this service for God’s people. And they gave in a way we did not expect: They first gave themselves to the Lord and to us. This is what God wants.” 2 Corinthians 8:3-5 NCV
Wow! When was the last time I “begged and pleaded” for anything…let alone “service for God’s people”. I heard in a movie the other day “yes you’re serving in our church (it was in a low income area) but you have the look of a convicted man doing time.” Man, I’m getting hit on all sides here…I’m not begging or pleading and sometimes I feel like I’m convicted, and not in that Holy Spirit kind of conviction way.
There are days when I just want to crawl onto my couch and veg in front of the tv…which would be a feat in itself since we have no tv antenna, only DVD movies and Seinfeld (which I’m that close to finishing what I have). Anyway…
What a lesson to be learned – not to be told to do something but to do it out of the love Christ showed us. It’s a lesson I continually need reminded of and God reminds me why I should be begging and pleading to share in the service to Him in various ways :
the joy a child shows when given a gift of a new mattress,
a smile received when you say “jambo”,
little one’s hands reaching out to hold yours,
the knowledge that each and every day the kids are eating because of the Lord’s providence.
There are so many other daily reminders but it’s the Holy Spirit opening my eyes to them that brings the lesson to life.