Showing Selfless Love

1 Corinthians 10:24 (NIV)

No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

Dr. Eleanor Chestnut arrived in China in 1893. She was a missionary doctor serving under the American Presbyterian missions board. She built a hospital, using her own money to buy bricks and mortar. The need for her services was so great that she performed surgery in her bathroom until the building was completed.

One operation involved the amputation of a laborer's leg. Complications arose, and skin grafts were needed. A few days later, another doctor asked Chestnut why she was limping. "Oh, it's nothing," was her terse reply. Finally, a nurse revealed that the skin graft for the patient came from Dr. Chestnut's own leg. She performed the operation giving herself only local anesthetic to remove her skin.

During the Boxer Rebellion of 1905, Dr. Chestnut and four other missionaries were arrested. As she was being led to prison, she saw a little boy bruised and bleeding. Immediately she broke away from her captors, and kneeling down she bound up the youngster's wound. A few hours afterward she was executed.

Fifty years passed, and people in China still talked about the foreign doctor whose loving concern for others made them think of Jesus.

The perfect example of seeking the good of others is Jesus Christ. Selfless His entire life, He gave His life so we may come to the Father.

Dear Lord, we thank You for Your selfless life.  Our prayer today is that we will seek the good of others. Open our eyes to the one in need today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Do They See the Love of Christ in You?

1 Thessalonians 1:3 (NIV)

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jack Martens is more than a band teacher to 12-, 13-, and 14-year-olds in the inner city of San Francisco. He has also been a minister to over 10,000 students. For more than 33 years he has braved the challenges of less-than-ideal teaching conditions at Ben Franklin Middle School to courageously live out his faith.

Over 50 percent of Martens' students are from broken homes, the same number are on welfare, nearly that number come from families where English is not the first language. To that score add the fact that funding for the arts has been all but cut off in Jack's school district.

"Jack saw something in me that kept me from giving up," recalls former student Aaron Hamilton, 26, who teaches music at a public school in Brooklyn and plays the trumpet at night. "I was taking care of myself when I was at Ben Franklin. My mom and dad were alcohol- and crack-addicted. Jack saw me through those crazy things. He was like a big brother and a father figure."

"I love these kids," admits Martens. "And they love me. In me they can see my love for Jesus Christ."

Although Martens keeps a Bible and other Christian symbols on his desk, it is his interaction with the kids that gives his witness a melody line. He eats lunch with them to help them talk through their problems and stays after school to help with difficult fingerings. Through the mechanics of music he is able to show his students they are capable of something beautiful.

The Apostle Paul is correct in saying that "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."

Dear Lord, thank You for Your love.  Help our actions today show our faith in You. Help us let others see Your love through our actions. In Jesus’ Name,  Amen. 

Are You Giving Your Best to Others?

1 Chronicles 29:9 (NIV)

The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.

Bill was a big, awkward, homely guy. He dressed oddly with ill-fitting clothes. There were several fellows who thought it smart to make fun of him.

One day one fellow noticed a small tear in his shirt and gave it a small rip. Another worker in the factory added his bit, and before long there was quite a ribbon dangling. Bill went on about his work and as he passed too near a moving belt the shirt strip was sucked into the machinery. In a split second the sleeve and Bill was in trouble.

Alarms were sounded, switches pulled, and trouble was avoided. The foreman, however, aware of what had happened, summoned the men and related this story:

"In my younger days I worked in a small factory. That's when I first met Mike. He was big and witty, was always making jokes, and playing little pranks. Mike was a leader. Then there was Pete who was a follower. He always went along with Mike. And then there was a man named Jake.

"He was a little older than the rest of us quiet, harmless, apart. He always ate his lunch by himself. He wore the same patched trousers for three years straight. He never entered into the games we played at noon, wrestling, horse shoes and such. He appeared to be indifferent, always sitting quietly alone under a tree instead. Jake was a natural target for practical jokes.

"He might find a live frog in his dinner pail, or a dead rodent in his hat. But he always took it in good humor. Then one Fall when things were slack, Mike took off a few days to go hunting. Pete went along, of course. And they promised all of us that if they got anything they'd bring us each a piece.

"So we were all quite excited when we heard that they'd returned and that Mike had got a really big buck. We heard more than that. Pete could never keep anything to himself, and it leaked out that they had real whopper to play on Jake.

"Mike had cut up the critter and had made a nice package for each of us. And, for the laugh, for the joke of it, he had saved the ears, the tail, the hoofs it would be so funny when Jake unwrapped them.

"Mike distributed his packages during the noon hour. We each got a nice piece, opened it, and thanked him. The biggest package of all he saved until last. It was for Jake. Pete was all but bursting; and Mike looked very smug. Like always, Jake sat by himself; he was on the far side of the big table. Mike pushed the package over to where he could reach it; and we all sat and waited.

"Jake was never one to say much. You might never know that he was around for all the talking he did. In three years he'd never said a hundred words. So we were all quite astounded with what happened next. He took the package firmly in his grip and rose slowly to his feet. He smiled broadly at Mike and it was then we noticed that his eyes were glistening. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down for a moment and then he got control of himself.

"'I knew you wouldn't forget me,' he said gratefully; 'I knew you'd come through! You're big and you're playful, but I knew all along that you had a good heart.'

"He swallowed again, and then took in the rest of us. 'I know I haven't seemed too chummy with you men; but I never meant to be rude. You see, I've got nine kids at home and a wife that's been an invalid bedfast now for four years. She ain't ever going to get any better. And sometimes when she's real bad off, I have to sit up all night to take care of her. And most of my wages have had to go for doctors and medicine. The kids do all they can to help out, but at times it's been hard to keep food in their mouths.

"Maybe you think it's funny that I go off by myself to eat my dinner. Well, I guess I've been a little ashamed, because I don't always have anything between my sandwich. Or like today maybe there's only a raw turnip in my pail. But I want you to know that this meat really means a lot to me. Maybe more than to anybody here because tonight my kids . . .' he wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand, '. .tonight my kids will have a really ..'

"He tugged at the string. We'd been watching Jake so intently we hadn't paid much notice to Mike and Pete. But we all noticed them now, because they both dove at once to try to grab the package. But they were too late. Jake had broken the wrapper and was already surveying his present. He examined each hoof, each ear, and then he held up the tail. It wiggled limply. It should have been so funny, but nobody laughed nobody at all.

"But the hardest part was when Jake looked up and said 'Thank you' while trying to smile. Silently one by one each man moved forward carrying his package and quietly placed it in front of Jake for they had suddenly realized how little their own gift had really meant to them . . . until now . . .

"This was where the foreman left the story and the men. He didn't need to say anymore; but it was gratifying to notice that as each man ate his lunch that day, they shared part with Bill and one fellow even took off his shirt and gave it to him."

Dear Lord, help us show Your love today. Help our eyes be opened so that we can see beyond the present and see the real person that is before us today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Are You Just a Spectator?

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Doug and Margaret Nichols have faced their share of obstacles. After surgery for colon cancer in April 1993, Doug sat across from his doctor and listened in disbelief. "I'm sorry, Doug," said the doctor nervously, "but you do have a 30 percent chance of recovery."

"You mean I have a 70 percent chance of dying?" Asked Doug, with a grin.

"I wouldn't put it that way," said a surprised doctor. "But my best estimate is that you have about three months to live."

"Well, let me tell you something, Doc," said Nichols. "Whatever happens, I have a 100 percent chance of going to heaven."

One year later radiation and chemo treatments had left Doug's body wracked with pain. Though he kept his humor well-oiled, both Doug and Margaret knew the end might be near. But their world was not the only one collapsing. Nightly news reports from Rwanda indicated that civil war had spiraled out of control and more than a million people had been slaughtered many by their own neighbors and trusted friends. The carnage was beyond belief. Terrified Rwandans by the thousands had fled across the border into Zaire and crowded into filthy, ill-equipped refugee camps, where diseases such as cholera found a ready home. People were dying everywhere-50,000 in three days alone in the little town of Goma. As Margaret and Doug read the terrible accounts and saw the images on TV, their hearts were broken. But what could one couple do?

"I knew I was going to die," Doug said, "but I wanted to do something before leaving this earth. I just wanted to hold some of those children in my arms and try to offer hope."

Soon Doug found himself traveling with a team of doctors and nurses through the heart of Rwanda, with no idea of the adventure that lay ahead.

A Rwandan Christian leader whom Doug had worked with before had hired 300 refugees as stretcher bearers to bury the daily masses of dead and transport the sick so doctors could do their best. One day the leader approached Doug with an expression of deep concern. "Mr. Nichols," he said, "we have a problem."

"What is it?" Doug asked.

"I was given only so much money to hire these people, and now they want to go on strike."

"What? In the middle of all this death arid destruction these men want to go on strike?"

"They want more money."

"But we have no more money," Doug informed him "We've spent everything. If they don't work, thousands will die."

His friend shrugged his shoulders. "They're not going to work. They want more money."

"Well, can I talk to them?"

"It won't do any good. They're angry. Who knows what they'll do?"

Finally Doug's friend agreed. Walking over to an old burned-out school building, Doug climbed the steps wondering what on earth he could say. Three hundred angry men surrounded the Rwandan who would act as interpreter. "Mr. Nichols wants to say something," he called above the clamor as Doug desperately searched for words that would get through to them.

"I can't possibly understand the pain you've experienced," Doug began, "and now, seeing your wives and children dying from cholera, I can never understand how that feels. Maybe you want more money for food and water and medical supplies for your families. I've never been in that position either. Nothing tragic has ever happened in my life that compares to what you've suffered. The only thing that's ever happened to me is that I've got cancer."

He was about to go on when the interpreter stopped. "Excuse me," he said, "did you say cancer?"

"Yes."

"And you came over here? Did your doctor say you could come?"

"He told me that if I came to Africa I'd probably be dead in three days."

"Your doctor told you that and you still came? What did you come for? And what if you die?"

"I'm here because God led us to come and do something for these people in His name," Doug told him. "I'm no hero. If I die, just bury me out in that field where you bury everybody else."

To Doug's utter amazement the man began to weep. Then, with tears flowing down his face, he turned back to the workers and began to preach. "This man has cancer," he told the crowd, which suddenly grew very quiet. In Rwanda, cancer is an automatic death sentence. "He came over here willing to die for our people," the interpreter continued, "and we're going on strike just to get a little bit more money? We should be ashamed!"

Suddenly men on all sides began falling to their knees in tears. Doug had no idea what was going on because no one had bothered to translate. To his great embarrassment, one fellow crawled over and threw his arms around Doug's legs. Dumbfounded, Doug watched as people stood to their feet, walked over to their stretchers, and went quietly back to work.

Later, as the interpreter recounted the whole story, Doug thought to himself, What did I do? Nothing. It wasn't my ability to care for the sick. It wasn't my ability to organize. All I did was get cancer. But God used that very weakness to move the hearts of people. Because they went back to work, thousands of lives were saved, and many heard the good news of Jesus Christ.

So many of us are discouraged by weakness. We feel that God could never use us; we have nothing to offer. But you can get sick, can't you? You can simply obey God and do what He calls you to do-whether you feel you have the ability to do the job or not. Sickness and weakness-those things we think God cannot use-are many times the exact things God uses to glorify His name. But so often much is left undone in the world because we are so concerned about what people will think about us. We are under qualified; we've never done that before. And so we sit back as spectators.

Are you going to just sit back or will today be the day you look beyond your weakness.

Dear Lord, help us not be discouraged by our weakness. Help us see what is before us and do the best with what You have given to us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

What is Your Mission?

Philippians 2:4 (NIV)

Not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Johnny was in search of a mission. Johnny works at a grocery store. One day he went to a training event led by a speaker named Barbara Glanz. She was talking to three thousand frontline workers for a supermarket chain-truck drivers, cashiers, and stockers.

Barbara was speaking on how people can make a difference. She described how every interaction with another person is a chance to create a memory, to bless someone's life. She talked about how important it is to look for those moments. She placed on the walls, as she always does when she speaks, posters with inspiring sayings. She told some stories and then went home, but she left her phone number behind. She invited the people at the conference to give her a call if they wanted to talk more about something she said.

About a month later, Barbara received a call from one of the people at that session, a nineteen-year-old bagger named Johnny. Johnny proudly informed her that he had Down syndrome, and then he told her his story.

"Barbara, I liked what you talked about. But I didn't think I could do anything special for our customers. After all, I'm just a bagger." Then he had an idea: he decided that every night when he came home from work, he would find a "thought for the day" for his next shift. It would be something positive, some reminder of how good it was to be alive, or how much people matter, or how many gifts we are surrounded by. If he couldn't find one, he would make one up.

Every night his dad would help him enter the saying six times on a page on the computer; then Johnny would print fifty pages. He would take out a pair of scissors and carefully cut three hundred copies and sign every one.

Johnny put the stack of pages next to him while he worked. Each time he finished bagging someone's groceries, he would put his saying on top of the last bag. Then he would stop what he was doing, look the person straight in the eye, and say, "I've put a great saying in your bag. I hope it helps you have a good day. Thanks for coming here."

A month later, the store manager called Barbara. "Barbara, you won't believe what's happened here. I was making my rounds, and when I got up to the cashiers, the line at Johnny's checkout was three times longer than anyone else's. It went all the way down the frozen food aisle."

The manager got on the loudspeaker to get more checkout lines open, but he couldn't get any of the customers to move. They said, "That's okay. We'll wait. We want to be in Johnny's line." One woman came up to him and grabbed his hand, saying, "I used to shop in your store once a week. Now I come in every time I go by-I want to get Johnny's thought for the day." Johnny is doing more than filling bags with groceries; he is filling lives with hope.

There is a reason Johnny's lines are three times longer than anyone else's. Our souls need to be fed, just as our bodies do. Bodies are fed by protein and carbs; souls are fed by words.

What people need from us the most is not more information. They just need words that will feed their souls. Sometimes words as simple as "thank you" or "I hope you have a really good day" can feed a soul.

Of course, what makes the words on the paper mean so much is who they come from. Words alone can come from a fortune cookie.

When people get them from Johnny, they are reminded of the beauty of one person forgetting his own limitations and seeking to make his life a blessing to someone else. Whatever burdens Johnny carries make his gift that much brighter.

Know who the most important person in the store is? Johnny the bagger.

A few months later, the manager called Barbara once again to tell her Johnny was transforming the whole store. He told her that when the floral department had a broken flower or unused corsage, they used to throw it away. Now they go out in the aisles, find an elderly woman or a little girl, and pin it on her. The butchers started putting ribbons on the cuts of meat they wrap up for customers. The people who make their shopping carts are trying to make carts with wheels that actually work.

And all the people of the grocery store will be blessed through Johnny. If it can happen in a grocery store, it can happen anywhere.

By the way, do you know who the most important person in your family, your neighborhood, and your workplace is? You.

You can be a Johnny the bagger. What Johnny does isn't slick, complicated, or calculated. He is just a bagger expressing his heart. You can help make that happen wherever you are.

What can you do today to show you care?

Dear Lord, open our eyes so that we can see what we can do to lift the spirits of someone today. Help us be the most important person in someones life today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Mother's Day 2014

Ephesians 6:1-3  (NIV)

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

God created families and gave mothers a unique place in that unit. We can love, give of ourselves, cook, clean, wash clothes, put Band-Aids on scrapes … be the first one up in the morning or the last one down at night. We juggle a lot of things including raising children, working at jobs, managing a home, and sometimes finding time for ourselves.

Each day is a new beginning of what lies before us. We have destiny, purpose, and the power to do and be all that we are called to be. Nothing can stop us except ourselves. As mothers, we need to find the strength to face each day knowing that God loves us.

This scripture seems to be written just for mothers.

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Philippians 2:1-4

Our children need that unselfish love of a mother. We as adults and parents need to love our mothers too. Long life is promised to all who show honor to them.

“Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. "Honor your father and mother." This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, "things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth." Ephesians 6:1-3

Mothers make up a crucial part of our lives. So whether it is a Hallmark card, dinner out, hug, or a kiss on the cheek, we should show we care. It is so important to give our love to these dedicated women in our lives and don’t take them for granted.

Dear Lord, thank you for our moms. We pray for a special blessing on each of them today.  Help us to always take the time to show them that we love them and are thankful for what they do for us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

What Can Someone Like Me Do?

Jude 1:22 (KJV)

And of some have compassion, making a difference:

Dr. Frank Mayfield was touring Tewksbury Institute when, on his way out, he accidentally collided with an elderly floor maid.

To cover the awkward moment Dr. Mayfield started asking questions,

"How long have you worked here?"

"I've worked here almost since the place opened," the maid replied.

"What can you tell me about the history of this place?" he asked.

"I don't think I can tell you anything, but I could show you something."

With that, she took his hand and led him down to the basement under the oldest section of the building. She pointed to one of what looked like small prison cells, their iron bars rusted with age, and said,

"That's the cage where they used to keep Annie."

"Who's Annie?" the doctor asked.

"Annie was a young girl who was brought in here because she was incorrigible - which means nobody could do anything with her. She'd bite and scream and throw her food at people. The doctors and nurses couldn't even examine her or anything. I'd see them trying with her spitting and scratching at them.

"I was only a few years younger than her myself and I used to think, 'I sure would hate to be locked up in a cage like that.' I wanted to help her, but I didn't have any idea what I could do. I mean, if the doctors and nurses couldn't help her, what could someone like me do?

"I didn't know what else to do, so I just baked her some brownies one night after work. The next day I brought them in. I walked carefully to her cage and said, 'Annie I baked these brownies just for you. I'll put them right here on the floor and you can come and get them if you want.' Then I got out of there just as fast as I could because I was afraid she might throw them at me. But she didn't. She actually took the brownies and ate them.

"After that, she was just a little bit nicer to me when I was around. And sometimes I'd talk to her. Once, I even got her laughing. One of the nurses noticed this and she told the doctor. They asked me if I'd help them with Annie. I said I would if I could. So that's how it came about that every time they wanted to see Annie or examine her, I went into the cage first and explained and calmed her down and held her hand. Which is how they discovered that Annie was almost blind."

After they'd been working with her for about a year - and it was tough sledding with Annie - the Perkins institute for the Blind opened its doors. They were able to help her and she went on to study and became a teacher herself.

Annie came back to the Tewksbury Institute to visit, and to see what she could do to help out. At first, the Director didn't say anything and then he thought about a letter he'd just received. A man had written to him about his daughter. She was absolutely unruly - almost like an animal. He'd been told she was blind and deaf as well as 'deranged' He was at his wit's end, but he didn't want to put her in an asylum. So he wrote her to ask if we knew of anyone-any teacher-who would come to his house and work with his daughter.

And that is how Annie Sullivan became the lifelong companion of Helen Keller.

When Helen Keller received the Nobel Prize, she was asked who had the greatest impact on her life and she said, "Annie Sullivan."

But Annie said, "No Helen. The woman who had the greatest influence on both our lives was a floor maid at the Tewksbury Institute."

Dear Lord, help us be that person today that can make a difference. Open our eyes so that we can see who needs our help and love today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.