Ephesians 2:10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Four brothers left home and later became very successful and prosperous. Some years later, they had dinner together and compared notes about what each of them had given their elderly mother for Christmas. The first said, “I had a big house built for Mama.” The second bragged, “I had a surround sound theater built in the house.” The third said, “I gave mom a brand new Mercedes.
The fourth brother boasted, “You know how Mama loved reading the Bible before her eyes went bad? Well, I bought her a parrot that can recite the entire Bible. It took twenty monks 12 years to teach him. I had to pledge $2 million to the church, but it was worth it. All she has to do is name the chapter and verse and the parrot will recite it.” The other brothers were really impressed and a bit jealous that their younger sibling had outdone them.
After the holidays mom sent out her thank you notes. She wrote first to her oldest son: “Milton, the house you built is so huge. I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole thing. Thanks anyway.” To her second son, she wrote: “Michael, you gave me an amazing theater that holds 50 people but all my friends are dead, I’ve lost my hearing and I’m nearly blind. I’ll never use it. Thank you for the gesture just the same.” Son number three received his note: “Marvin, I am too old to travel so I never use the Mercedes but I appreciate the thought. Thanks.” When she got to the youngest son she wrote, “Dearest Melvin, you were the only one to put some thought into your gift…the chicken was delicious. Thank you.”
I have been too many restaurants and fast food places to eat. Have you noticed in the last 10 years and even worse since COVID that it is hard to get younger people that will work as a server. Most of them do not want to work or if they do they feel it should come with a check and them not do hardly anything.
To serve people food does not pay enough whether it is $2.15 per hour plus tips or $20.00 an hour. A lot of our younger generation believes it should be handed to them with working to get it.
When I was about 10 I used to mow a yard or two to get money to get whatever I wanted. When I got to be 11 or 12 I got me a news paper route to make money and still mowed yard. They year that Atari came out myself and a good friend made money in tips at the Lighthouse Christmas tree lot and then had the opportunity to sell Christmas trees on commission after the church had sold out. We did a lot of work just to make enough money to buy that game system. We live in an entitled world. I never felt entitled I just worked hard to get what I wanted.
Is seems that in the church world today we have an entitlement syndrome. People come to church every Sunday and expect everything to be ready for them to sit and listen to the preaching or enjoy praise and worship.
If you have kids and you bring them on Sunday morning you expect Sis. Monica Baker or Sis. Darla Wewe or Pastors wife to teach your kids. If you come in on Sunday morning and we do not have a teacher for your children you will ask Pastor "How come we don't have a teach?" that may be because you have not took the job to fill in when no one is here.
Maybe you come in the church house and complain how come we don't have an usher that stand at the door and greet people? Maybe, that is because you have not volunteer. This is what I think of when I thing of entitled in church. Someone should be there to do that job but I am entitled to sit here and not do anything.
Please understand that God created us in Christ Jesus for good works because, we are His workmanship.
Let's look back at Exodus 6 where Moses began to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
Exodus 6:28-29
28 And it came to pass, on the day the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,
29 that the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the Lord. Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.”
Now we know that after God said this to Moses that at first he did not want to do it because he was shy and could not speak correct. However, as we read on we find that Moses after accepting Aaron as a mouthpiece (to speak for him) that he made an incredible journey and it was all because he was called by God to serve.
Imagine all of the time spent leading these people to their new promise land because God asked him too. These people followed Moses through the wilderness, across the Red Sea, when starving, when dying of thirst, even through them making golden image and yet he was a servant of God and became one of the great leaders of the Bible.
There are people that need to quit complaining about what the church doesn't have and why the church doesn't have any help and start doing something in the church. I enjoy serving God and our church and you all.
My wife and I have been out to pick up someone when their car broke down or they were in a wreck. We have been to the hospital and visited and prayed for people. We have brought food, groceries, and money when we took up a offering for some. God called us to serve before we became leaders and then we still serve.
The Bible says that serving others is a priority and a way to honor Christ's love.
Mark 10:44-45
44 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Christ served not only while He walked on this earth, but He even served when He gave His life for you and I.
1 Peter 4:10-11 NLT
10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
It is important in the Bible for us to serve. There are many more scriptures about being a servant. To serve is to give of yourself and to serve the church, family, friends, and of course MTC Family members.