Night 1 of 90: As you Serve, Discern

As you serve, discern.

Opening Song: Shifting the Atmoshpere by Jason Nelson

Closing Song: Withholding Nothing by William McDowell

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. Luke 10:33-35

Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money…Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. God. Acts 3:2-8

I love how Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life opens up: It’s not about you. The purpose for which God created us is about Him, not us. If we carry that thought into every day of our lives, every dream we have, every place we frequent, every relationship we enter, would be more about others than it us about us. At the heart of what it means to be Christian is to be a servant. In order to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, you must serve until it hurts. Jesus says, “let the greatest one among you be a servant.” He shows what servant leadership looks like at the last supper with his disciples. He bends down and washes his disciples’ feet—the same disciples who would, days later, betray him and deny him; the same disciples who would be found hiding in a room instead of waiting at the tomb. These same disciples…Christ serves, and by doing so, he demonstrates to us the heartbeat of our ministry assignment on earth.

In that same book, Rick Warren argues, “the only really happy people are those who have learned to serve.” And I agree. But when is the last time you served others without expecting them to serve you? When is the last time you intentionally planned to volunteer at a local shelter, hospital or library to help those in need? Did it ever occur to you that you may be placed in the neighborhood you live in, or the job you work at, or the school you attend to serve people who don’t “look like” they need help?  As Christians, the question should never be “am I supposed to serve?” The question is always, “how am I supposed to serve today?”

In the two scriptures above, we see two different models of servant leadership. The first is a story Jesus tells about a Good Samaritan. This traveling outsider takes on the burden of patching up the injured man’s wombs, carrying him to the local inn, and paying for his recovery. The Good Samaritan is “all in.” He gives of himself in ways that will inconvenience him. He’s willing to go the furthest mile to show the kind of love that the Father demonstrated toward us when he gave his only begotten son, so that we could be free from sin.

The other text shows another style of servant leadership. Paul is on his way to prayer. He stops on his way to hear this lame man’s cry for help. Paul pauses long enough to have a conversation with someone. Commercial Break: are you in such a rush that you can’t pause to have a conversation? Paul doesn’t do what the Good Samaritan does, but he does do something! Listen: if you can’t afford it, you can’t afford it. But such as you have, give it, serve it, do it! A lot of us talk ourselves out of serving others because we don’t have the funds and we don’t think we have the time. But these two servants inconvenienced themselves to respond to a need. They were on their way to another destination, and stopped long enough to help someone out. If you’ve ever been on the side of the road in need of help, you really can’t afford to overlook people who need help.

Think about the manifold gifts God has given you. What can you do to help others, even if you can’t give them money? Don’t let your liabilities get in the way of your assets. Paul didn’t say, “I’m on my way to prayer, I will pray for you.” He used his power. He healed this man. His anointing was in healing. Your anointing may be in something else, but whatever it is, use the gift God gave you to serve someone in need.

Both stories teach us to pause and pay attention to the people “on the side of the road.” One man was injured; another was disabled. But how often do we pass people like this everyday? Not just when we are driving, but when we are working on our big project; or planning our family vacation. Are there injured souls and disabled hearts crossing paths with you, but you’re so focused on purpose that you are overlooking it? These two scriptures teach us that sometimes, we’ve got to serve the “Good Samaritan package.” That means, go all out and do whatever needs to be done. But there are also times when we need to be like Paul and discern what the real need is. Paul wasn’t broke I don’t think. But he knew this man needed to be healed from the crutches of his condition. The man asked for money because he didn’t know he qualified for a miracle. Paul had faith for him, and gave him what he truly needed in order to free himself from the crutches of poverty.

Why did God bless you to go to school? To free someone from the crutches of poverty. Why are you opening up a non-profit? To free someone from the crutches of poverty. Why has your life been so difficult? To free someone from the crutches of poverty. Real servant leaders never ask, “what will I get in return?” Instead, they conclude, “such as I have, I will give it to thee.”

For the rest of this 90 day challenge, make it your business to be the servant leader Christ has empowered you to be. As you serve…discern!

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