I received a sweet gift from a friend today.
The girl who lives with us walked over to me with a green plastic bag and said, “I’m cleaning your car, and I don’t want you to say ‘no.’ I know you’ve been stressed out lately, and so I want to do this for you.”
First off, let me tell you that my car is a mess. One look in the window and you’d quickly agree. There were french fries on the floor in the back, a stack of used masks in the front, flyers scattered throughout, and a few lost mittens thrown here and there. The dashboard hasn’t been wiped down in who knows how long, and to top it all off, it’s loaded with dog hair.
In my defence, winters are freezing up here, and this winter was exceptionally cold. Standing in snow, cleaning the car has been the last thing on my mind. Besides that, I’m a bit of a car slob sometimes.
As embarrassing as it is, some days you just have to accept a gift and say, “thank you.” So I did, but not without a gift in exchange.
“Okay, but what can I do for you?” I asked. “Can I clean your room?”
She agreed. And so, for the next hour or so, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work blessing each other.
Throughout the Bible we’re encouraged to serve one another in love, as we follow the example of Christ. She did just that, when she reached out to bless me.
In Philippians Chapter 2, Paul encourages us to serve. In doing so, he reminds us 4 things:
- Do nothing out of selfish ambition or pride.
- In humility value others higher than yourself.
- Look to the interest of others.
- Do everything without grumbling or arguing.
We’re given opportunities each and every day to humbly serve others. We’re given a chance to live out the gospel of love that we preach. We’re given the opportunity to let the light of God shine.
And why do we serve? So that through us, they might see Him.
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Tilling the Soil
Read Philippians Chapter 2.
Planting Hope
Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16, NIV)
About the Author
DARLENE SCHACHT is an award-winning and NYT best-selling author. She is the founder of Time-Warp Wife Ministries, an online publication that encourages women to live Christ-centered lives.
Her passion for scripture and hunger for truth is the driving force behind a unique ministry that offers Bible studies and daily marriage prayers. Darlene is joined by her husband Michael on the daily podcast “5-Minute Marriage.”
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