Without Grumbling

Philippians 2:14-16 Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

There is an old saying amongst sailors. A happy sailor is a complaining sailor (or words to that affect). If the sailors are complaining, things must be okay. If the complaining stops, the sailors have decided to do something about it. That is when you need to worry.

Often times in ministry we may find ourselves involved in a less than glamorous task. It may not shine the light on ourselves or our efforts. We may even be doing something that is repetitive in nature and seems to have no real purpose.  One of the above, some of the above, or all the above may apply to your situation right now. There are a few thoughts that can be shared to help put a better light on serving in some situations. We are in a world where self-gratification, elevating oneself or shameless self-promotion are an expectation. Humility is not an often used word today. Yet that is exactly the type of servant we should be, and service we should be rendering to God. We are worshipping God, and not ourselves. We need look no further than verse 14 of Philippians 2 (children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation) to see that in Paul's day, as in our time, we are living counter to the popular culture by worshipping and serving God. If we look to Christ, for instance and for an example, all he did was in worship to His Father in Heaven. All that He did was to fulfill the will of the Father. He did not heal the lame, give sight to the blind or hearing to the deaf to promote himself. He did these things out of love for others and in serving the will of His Father. When we serve in humility we close the door to that easy to fall into trap of sin that comes from pride. We give our Father all that we have to give out of our love for Him. And when we do these seemingly insignificant, repetitive or seemingly boring tasks in ministry we can "shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life." We, as Paul, do not labor in vain. We have a purpose in serving because we serve out of love and not out of obligation in order to earn our salvation. Jesus paid for that on the cross in his humble service to all mankind. We cannot better that which has already been freely given. We have been saved by grace and serve gracefully. To God be all the glory in all that we do.

PRAYER: Almighty and Everlasting God, our tasks may seem minor and repetitive. They may not have the glamor of preaching or serving in a public setting. Yet these simple acts of service are nonetheless carried out in love of You Father. Just as Christ served out of love for sinners, we sinners serve you in love. May all our service be received as a fragrant offering by You O God. Amen.