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December 3, 2007
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
What Do You Do?, by Phil Ware
In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are
not obvious cannot remain hidden forever (1 Timothy 5:25 TNIV).
Donna and I sat as proud parents. Our daughter, Megan, was honored with
the servant leadership award along with about a dozen or so other
graduating seniors. To be honest, we didn't even know that there was
such an award, especially one presented to December graduates. Most of
the students were unaware of the award as well. It was definitely not
an award that these university students competed to receive. They were
all a bit surprised to be chosen.
As the university leadership led this chapel service, the Provost
explained that he knew that most of them were surprised by this honor.
He emphasized that he knew they would not necessarily perceive
themselves in high-notice positions of leadership. Instead, he
suggested, they had served in ways that reflected the heart of the
university's values* and reflected the nature of Jesus in what they did
whether they were noticed or not. Their administrators, professors, and
staff wanted to let them know, however, that they had noticed their
service to others and wanted to thank them.
Our churches and Christian organizations are filled with servants. Most
go unrecognized here on earth because their service does not put them
in high profile positions that are easily recognized. Many would prefer
to serve unnoticed. They are the heart and soul behind many great
ministries -- whether parachurch or church-based ministries. These
servants are often found in the quiet, sacrificial, and
behind-the-scenes service offered by underpaid staff and unpaid
volunteers. The challenge for leaders is to know how best to honor them
without neglecting others nearby them who are also similarly styled
servants. What do you do to appropriately say, "We appreciate your
service to God, his people, and to those who need his grace?" How do
you do this without undermining their ministry as a quiet servant and
yet still show "honor to whom honor is due" (Romans 13:7)?
A genuine "Thank You!" always helps. A kind note of appreciation and
encouragement is never bad. A little bonus on the paycheck for those
who are employed is nice. Even a servant leader award can be good.
However, the truth of the matter is that none of these is sufficient.
Any of these can become either trite or abused. The bottom line is
this: A servant serves because of his or her heart, not because he or
she is not concerned about the recognition. Jesus' servants do good
deeds whether given an award or not. A servant "outed" and her or his
deeds of service made public can sometimes strip away the inner joy of
the servant simply trying to live for Jesus. That's how in the awards
ceremony, the university leaders knew they had selected good folks:
these students had served and were surprised that their service was
noticed by anyone but God.
So what do we do to honor such servants?
So what do we do to honor such servants?
Let's be servants in return. Let's catch people doing acts of service
-- especially those people that do not normally get noticed for their
service. Let's individually thank them and personally affirm them.
Rather than having to make everything of importance a public event,
let's commit to be the encouragers of servants behind the scenes. Our
personal and genuine appreciation can be used by God to bless those who
serve him.
A servant's ultimate award will be to hear the words of his or her
Master, "Well done, good and faithful servant! ... Come and share your
master's happiness!" (Matthew 25:21). The Master sees the things his
servants have done in secret and will not let those deeds of service go
by unrewarded (Matthew 6:4; Matthew 6:6; Matthew 6:18). Until then, I
want to challenge you beginning this week -- yes, especially this very
busy week as we rush headlong toward Christmas -- to find at least five
servants and share a note of appreciation with them. Let's not make
them wait till Jesus' return to hear genuine words of appreciation:
"Well done, good and faithful servant!" Who knows, in doing this, we
may just find ourselves blessed by being a servant, too!
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Who is someone that is a servant who has blessed your life? What did
they do to bring you this blessing? Why not tell others about this
servant on my blog!
You can post your comments, here:
http://blog.heartlight.org/phil/2007/12/a_servant.html
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Notes:
The university is Abilene Christian University and their mission is
"to educate students for Christian service and leadership
throughout the world."
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(c) 2007 Phil Ware <phil@heartlight.org>. All rights reserved.
RELATED LINKS:
* The Jesus Vibe: Servant
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200707/20070730_servant.html
* The Who's Who That Really Matters
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200709/20070920_whoswho.html
* The Definition of a Real Leader
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200603/20060317_realleader.html
* Southern Hills Church of Christ
http://www.southernhillschurch.org
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200712/20071203_whatdoyoudo.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
CURE FOR THE COMMON LIFE: LIVING IN YOUR SWEET SPOT, by Max Lucado
In Cure for the Common Life, Max Lucado offers practical tools for
exploring and identifying your own uniqueness, putting your strengths
to work, and living in your "sweet spot" for the rest of your life.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?256
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