Be a Servant

This morning I was reading John 2, the story of the Wedding at Cana where Jesus turns water into wine, and I was blown away by the role of the servant. Here's Jesus' interaction with the servants...

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." John 2:6-10

Look at what Jesus asked the servants to do.
- Fill the jars with 20-30 gallons of water. This meant carrying these jugs to the well, filling them, and then bringing them back to Jesus. That would have been a lot of work. Have you ever tried to carry 20-30 gallons of water? Those suckers would have been heavy! They might have put them on a cart, but still they had to lift them on the cart. Then they had to take them to the master of the feast. This must have been confusing. Why are we bringing water to the master of the feast? It's the wine that they ran out of? What the heck?

But look at what the servants witnessed.
- They were the first to witness Jesus transform the water into wine. They were the first to realize what had happened.

Here's what hit me...
Serving Jesus is hard work. Carrying the water was hard work. Serving others is hard work. It's not what we naturally want to do. But often Jesus asks us to do that which isn't easy. But unless we are willing to do the hard work, we will not be put in the position to witness Jesus move in power. It was the willingness of the servants that put them in the position to see the transformational power of Jesus. If they didn't carry the water, they would have never seen it turn into wine. Unless we are willing to do the hard work of serving others, forgiving others, having the hard conversations, we will never be in the position to see Jesus transform their lives.

Too often I believe we want the easy way out. We don't want to do the hard work. That has been my attitude. But unless we are willing to serve and do that which is difficult, we will never see Jesus move in a transformational way in people's lives.

Where am I doing the hard work of serving? Am I putting myself in the position to see Jesus move?

Lord, may I be willing to do the hard work, so that I can see you transform lives!

The Lost Art of the Career

Loved reading this article in the recent Relevant Magazine. It was called "The Lost Art of the Career" and it challenges younger workers and their attitude towards work. Written by David Kinnaman, who works at Barna, he calls young workers out and I love his challenging words. He shares 7 things to consider when building a career.

1. Create a Unique Statement of Your Calling and Vision - this can be a short statement that describes what you feel God is calling you to do with your life.

2. See out People at the Office Who Can Mentor You - Straight forward find a person who you can learn from and ask a ton of questions.

3. Demanding Bosses Are Not Your Enemy - Some of the best bosses are tough ones because they want you to grow. They push you and stretch you because they believe in you.

4. When You Reach Your Breaking Point, Stay Longer - It's during the toughest times that you learn the most. Don't leave and find a new job when things get tough. Wait it out and learn from those moments.

5. Make Sure You Check Your Ego At the Door - be a servant Serve your employer well.

6. Keep the Organizations Goals a Priority - The organizations goals are your priority while you are on the job.

7. Connect Your Work to Your Faith

Seven Mistakes I've Made

Great blog by Thom Rainer entitled "7 Mistakes I Made in Ministry." Love the 7 that he highlighted. Here's what he said...

1. I would spend more time in the Word and in prayer. I would follow the biblical pattern of the church leaders in Acts 6:4: “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the preaching ministry" (HCSB).

2. I would give my family more time. No one remembers the church committee meetings I missed. My family still remembers those times I was too busy for them.

3. I would spend more time sharing my faith. Paul told the young pastor Timothy to do the work of an evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5). Those words apply to all pastors today.

4. I would love the community where I lived more. I would try to live more incarnationally. I would prayerfully seek to see how I could serve the community rather than see it as a population pool of prospects for my church.

5. I would lead the church to focus more on the nations. I would lead in helping our church grasp that missions is more than just an annual offering.

6. I would focus on critics less. Most church members have no idea how many criticisms and “suggestions” a pastor gets each week. It can be overwhelming and distracting. Though I would be willing to listen, I would not obsess about every negative comment that was made about me.

7. I would accept the reality that I can’t be omnipresent. So many people and groups want the presence of the pastor. Saying “no” can be difficult, but it can free the pastor to focus on some of the priorities noted above.