During Spring Break about 15 of our people went to east Tennessee to help IDES (International Disaster Emergency Services) with cleanup and rebuilding homes caused by flooding from Hurricane Helene. They were supposed to give a presentation of their work on April 6th but ironically, we had to cancel services that morning due to extreme flooding in our area and a RED travel advisory (only emergency vehicles were to be out). So we rescheduled it for May 4th (yesterday). As the people spoke about the one item that stood out to them, I noticed what I thought was a theme that wove its way through each one: the opportunity to serve. There were variations of that to be sure, but several of them came right out and said it: “I wanted to be a Mary not a Martha. I wanted to listen to people.” “I wanted to serve in any way possible, even if it meant shoveling gravel” (said by a young lady who was not strong-looking by any stretch). Several others related how they simply wanted to serve these people. One even mentioned how the lady’s whose house they were building served them a hot meal every day. I guess you could say, “The served being the server”?
In his May 5th devotion in Everyday Gospel, the author, Paul David Tripp, began his devotion with this little gambit:
Grace transforms us from being those who live for our own glory to being those who find joy in living for the glory and fame of another.
In this case, it was David’s passion to build the Temple, but God in His wisdom told him that he was a man of war and a man of peace was to build the Temple. That man of peace was Solomon, his son. David’s words to his son were, “MY son, I wanted to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord my God.” (I Chron. 22:7) David did his part in helping build the Temple by gathering materials needed for the building. He commissioned men to use their gifts to build the Temple. He solicited the help of others in getting the lumber for it.
Put plainly: David wanted a building that would show off the magnificence of God. It really wasn’t for him to have a lasting legacy of “Look what David built.” His sole purpose for building it was the honor and glory of God to be spread. What a great purpose for our lives!! What a great challenge for today, for every day. Live my life to bring honor and glory to God. And you?
Living our lives in service to others does, indeed, glorify God and His purposes. I love that this team could speak about their amazing experiences as they helped others rebuild their lives after that horrific storm. May we all live our lives to God’s honor and glory.
Blessings, Bill!
Thanks for your comment Martha. I’m glad you picked up on the team and how the idea of service transformed them.
As with David, I have had my good seasons and my seasons of struggle. As a parent, God reminds me of the grace He has shown me despite my own rebelliousness. I try to model the same grace and love. Despite David being reassigned from actively building the temple, David chose to use his talents, abilities, and influence in other ways. A lesson to be learned that when doors are closed by God, we aren’t to sit on the sidelines. We find a place where God is opening doors and use our gifts there.
That is such a good comment Ryan. One I never even thought of. Thanks for sharing that.
The testimonies of the workers were all very heart warming accounts of how service work does transform your vision and heart for others. The woman whose house was being built, her act of love and kindness by bringing hot meals every day was amazing. When God can move through both servers and those that are being served, it makes bringing the glory to God on such display that it encourages so many people outside of that circle. It is such a cascading effect on so many in the community and everyone who hears the stories. When God is glorified and honored like that, it just makes your heart smile and love spills out.
And that was accomplished yesterday Gail. It did make my heart smile.