This week, my church had an event called Walk Through Bethlehem. How it worked was there were tours starting every 5 minutes or so. The people in the tour would walk into our church building and watch a short video about 1st century Bethlehem. Then, they would walk into the foyer of the building, which
had been transformed into a marketplace as it may have been back then. People everywhere, storekeepers yelling to potential customers, beggars... well, begging. They would walk around there for a while, and then the Roman soldiers would come in and escort them outside, where they find the shepherds and wise men outside the stable, where Mary and Joseph are watching over little Jesus. It was a really fun thing to do, but it took a lot of work! We needed a lot of people to be involved, whether in acting, setup, baking (there were refreshments available after the tour was over) or just praying. There was a lot to do, and I wanted a way to be involved!
The event occurred twice, Friday night and Saturday night. I had a job the first night, but the job really wasn't much and I wasn't needed. So the next night, I needed something else to do. And the biggest need was for someone to be a traffic director.
I really did not want to be a traffic director. I would have to stand outside in the cold, for about two hours. I would be away from everyone inside, including my friends who had come that night. I really didn't want to do it, and at first I said no. But as the time drew closer, and no one else had filled in, I realized, why shouldn't I be the one to do it? It was selfish not to. I want to do something important and I want to help others and I'm to selfish to make sacrifices for it. God calls us to be servants. He washed his disciples feet! That job was only for the lowest servant, and yet He did it voluntarily. After thinking about it more, I was ashamed of my bad attitude, and I told the leaders of the event that I would do it. While it wouldn't be the most fun thing, I wanted to be a servant, the way that Jesus was.
In Mark 10:43, Jesus said, "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant." God clearly calls us to be servants. We must be willing to make sacrifices for others, because we should see them as more important than ourselves. And if that's what God wants, that's what I want. So this week, I remind myself: It's not about me! Do something for others. Make sacrifices. Live like Jesus would! Because the most important thing I can do for others is to love them and serve them.
"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." (Galatians 5:13)
The event occurred twice, Friday night and Saturday night. I had a job the first night, but the job really wasn't much and I wasn't needed. So the next night, I needed something else to do. And the biggest need was for someone to be a traffic director.
I really did not want to be a traffic director. I would have to stand outside in the cold, for about two hours. I would be away from everyone inside, including my friends who had come that night. I really didn't want to do it, and at first I said no. But as the time drew closer, and no one else had filled in, I realized, why shouldn't I be the one to do it? It was selfish not to. I want to do something important and I want to help others and I'm to selfish to make sacrifices for it. God calls us to be servants. He washed his disciples feet! That job was only for the lowest servant, and yet He did it voluntarily. After thinking about it more, I was ashamed of my bad attitude, and I told the leaders of the event that I would do it. While it wouldn't be the most fun thing, I wanted to be a servant, the way that Jesus was.
In Mark 10:43, Jesus said, "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant." God clearly calls us to be servants. We must be willing to make sacrifices for others, because we should see them as more important than ourselves. And if that's what God wants, that's what I want. So this week, I remind myself: It's not about me! Do something for others. Make sacrifices. Live like Jesus would! Because the most important thing I can do for others is to love them and serve them.
"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." (Galatians 5:13)