Stick out all over

It's not what you do it's how you do it. Chapter 6, Kitchen Service, is about the aspect of it being okay to serve and have some Martha in us. Jesus calls us all to serve and love like he does. J. Oswald Sanders reminds us that "Only once did Jesus say that he was leaving his disciples an example, and that was when he washed their feet." Jesus was becoming the least of these to serve others. He wasn't telling Martha not to serve, he just wants us to just have a joyful heart in whatever way we are serving. When we let our service become a burden it is no longer done in joy. We forget the real reason we began in the first place, which can then place us on the road to burnout. We are told that Jesus ministered to others as he went on his way, out of his way and in all kinds of ways. List all three of these and look for opportunities in your life where you can minister to others. Look in the back of your book where she talks more about this in the study guide. There is a story of Brother Lawrence who ended up with unexpected kitchen duty. Instead of grumbling and throwing a pity party about where he would be serving he made the best of it. He made it into an act of worship. I know this is something that I have also learned as far as the occupation we have is concerned. We aren't all called to ministry or work in the church, if we were how would others in the outside world get to see what it's like to live as a christian? She reminds us that we may be the only Jesus that many people see so we need to keep that in mind at all times. We are given a quote from Dwight L. Moody that I really liked, "Of one hundred men, one will read the Bible; the ninety-nine will read the Christian." Isn't that so true?? The author has some shaded areas in the chapter that discuss some ideas on how to decide how you can serve others as well as to decide if you are doing your service for the right reasons.

So just because you aren't working in the church doesn't mean you aren't making an impact. Jesus needs us to be lights out in this dark world to allow His Holy Spirit to shine through us to others. Whatever your occupation may be do it with the mindset that you are serving God. A friend of ours owns a blinds company. I remember he said that to change his perspective he decided that he was going to treat every house he installed blinds in as if it were Jesus house. What a difference our day can make when we remember to have this kind of attitude!!! In this chapter the author talks some more about producing fruit and abiding in Jesus and letting him abide in us. One last part of this chapter that stood out to me was the story about the boy who is talking to the evangelist and he says, "I'm so little and Jesus is so big-he's just gonna stick out all over!" What a great analogy to show us what having Christ abide in us and us in him really means so that we can show the world who He really is. I pray that I can be someone that has Christ sticking out all over and that you can too.

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