[Faith-talk] FW: [masterslist] Laying Bricks

[Eric Calhoun]

Original Message: 
From: "Dean Masters" <dwmasters at earthlink.net>
To: "masters list" <masterslist at yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [masterslist] Laying Bricks
Date: 
Fri, 3 Jun 2011 10:19:21 -0400

Laying Bricks
By Ryan Duncan, Editor for TheFish.com

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,and whoever 
wants to be first must be slave of all.For even the Son of Man did not
come 
to
be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark

10: 43 - 45

Sometimes, I get restless. I went to college at Taylor University, a
small 
Christian school in the middle of Cornfield, Indiana. Though Taylor
wasn't 
very
big, it strove to serve Christ, and encouraged its students to impact the

world for God. During the January term, when you could sleep all day and 
goof-off
all night, Taylor offered something called Lighthouse Missions. Instead
of 
wasting their brief vacation, students became a part of service-learning 
projects
that allowed them to share Christ with a world in need.

When Spring Breakcamearound, and the beaches of Florida were calling, it 
sent students everywhere from Russia to the neighboring town of Grant 
County, where
they engaged in housing projects, orphan care, and outreach. It was tough

giving up those precious vacation days, but it felt good to know you were

serving
Christ. Unfortunately, after graduation opportunities like these are
harder 
to come by. With a forty to fifty-hour work week, not to mention budgeted

money
and vacation time, jetting off to some foreign location isn't something
you 
can just do.

I can remember sitting in church, boiling with frustration because I
couldn't 
just go do something like I had in college. God clearly has a sense of 
irony,
because at that moment the pastor stood up and asked for volunteers to
help 
pack up after the service. My problem? I had become the "wealthy giver."
Not
sure what I mean? Read this story in Mark 12:

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and
watched 
the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people 
threw
in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper 
coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him,
Jesus 
said,
"I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury
than 
all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her 
poverty,
put in everything--all she had to live on." - Mark 12: 41-44

It's amazing how serving Christ can easily become something selfish. I
was 
only interested in serving if it was on my terms, and because of that I
let 
a
lot of opportunities pass me by. The truth is that volunteering for a
church 
nursery could be just as important in God's eyes as building houses in 
another
country.

An old professor once told my class that the kingdom of God is built on 
willing hearts. When we choose to follow God, we are laying the bricks of 
his kingdom,
and creating a sturdy foundation for others to stand on. So get involved,

and if you feel God leading you toward a big opportunity, take it. But
don't
be too proud to serve in the small places. Sometimes it's the little
things 
that make all the difference.

Intersecting Faith and Life

What opportunities does your church offer for serving? Take a moment to
look 
them over and see if one is good for you. Churches are always looking for

volunteers
to help with children and young adults.

Further Reading

Philippians 2:1-4




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"I would ratyher walk in the dark with Jesus than to walk in the light on
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