Yesterday was a busy day. As such i didn’t get a chance to reflect upon my cat calendar quote of the day that challenged me from the second I saw it. For that reason this post is late. (I also preached a sermon on 2 Corinthians 5:20 to practice preaching which added to the busyness yesterday.)
But (with my excuses out of the way) one thing i have wrestled with over the past few years is this question: “what exactly counts as Christian ministry?”
And yesterday i got my answer in an unlikely place:
Aesop’s quote instantly brought to my mind what Jesus said in Matthew 10:42: “And whoever gives just a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple — I assure you: He will never lose his reward.”
How wonderful is that news! Jesus says plainly that even something as minuscule as vacuuming a church or preparing coffee on a Sunday morning for your fellow church members is a form of service to Jesus Himself. Two verses earlier He actually says, “The one who welcomes you welcomes Me, and the one who welcomes Me welcomes Him who sent Me” (Matthew 10:40).
However, we must never divorce this from other things Christ says about service. In Matthew 6:1 He cautions us: “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
Our service must be done not to get praise from man, but rather to get praise from God. To do service–even small things–with an eye toward getting noticed is to be no better than the Pharisees. We serve Christ. We serve for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). There is no other reason why we serve!
Why do you typically serve? If it’s for your own recognition, please repent of your selfishness.
As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory.” We can serve God in billions of small ways in even the most mundane of things we do each day. Let’s do EVERYTHING for His glory alone!
Soli Deo Gloria
live in Love; find your true reward 