August 29

Aug 29 - Today from Proverbs 29 we look at verse 19
"A servant cannot be corrected by mere words; though he understands, he will not respond."

When I was sixteen, way back in the 60s, my dad owned a service station and I went to work for him. My dad was very focused on the service aspect of his business, and made it a top requirement for those of us who served with him. In those days we pumped the gas for the customer, always washed the windshield and asked if we could check the oil. And, we did it with a smile. If the customer wanted anything else, we were there to serve. If they asked, we would check the air in their tires and any or all fluid levels of the car. We would add anything that required adding. Except for product, there was never any extra charge. It was our service to the community. My job wasn't to put in my hours and gather my pay on Fridays; it was to serve people and make them glad they traded with us. If they were happy, they would come back. We filled a need in the community, and in return the community provided for our family.
When I was around forty, I took my first trip into the Soviet Union. I was there just after President Reagan made his historical trip in 1988 and glasnost was on the fast-track. During our visit we entered numerous shops and businesses - all owned by the state. Service with a smile? There was no sign of either service or a smile. When I walked into a shop, I was totally ignored. Every one was a slave of the state - there was no private ownership. The people owned everything communally (sic) and everyone had their task to do in this mega-community. In doing so, their every need was to be taken care of by the state, from cradle to grave (sic). Apparently, they didn't have many needs. If I ever had any notions about socialism before that time, they all vanished. The people were slaves with no sense of ownership and no sense of fulfillment. The only people we met who smiled and seemed to have some sense of fulfillment were the Christians we covertly made contact with. They served under the most extreme of circumstances - but they served with a smile.
This brings me to the next level of servanthood; every man is a servant of the most high God. Even the defiant serve God's purposes. Ephesians 1:11 tells us that God works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will. Those to whom Christ has been revealed, and who accept His truth, find great satisfaction and fulfillment in their service to Him. Serving is the purpose for which we were created. God has endowed each of us with certain gifts and abilities, and He endowed us that we might serve Him by serving others. Those who defy God's purposes still serve Him, but they never find satisfaction in their service. When we use our endowment to serve ourselves, we are out of sync with God's purposes, and there must be correction. The Teacher tells us that if we are but servants, mere words are not enough to correct us. We understand the words "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," but we don't respond. We understand the words "Love your neighbor as you love yourself," but we don't respond. Mere words are not enough to correct us. So . . . what did God do?
His best was done in Christ. He promoted us from servants to friends. He did this by revealing the Father's purposes to us (John 15:15). He promoted us from servants to sons. He did this by adopting us into the family (Romans 8:15, 16). We are no longer slaves to a system, we are sons of the owner. "Love your neighbor as yourself," is no longer a statement of mere words. It is the mission statement of our family business and our service is our investment into that business. As slaves, there is little to motivate us in our labors, we become lethargic shop-sitters waiting for our shift to end. As sons, we are to joyfully invest in His kingdom. By following our big brother's (Jesus'), example in serving our fellow man, we honor our Father as we see the expansion of His kingdom. God gave us a partnership in His kingdom through Christ. The benefits are eternal. What more motivation do we need?