It was almost the definition of irony. Last week, as I arrived to lead this lesson for our Tuesday morning Bible study on the 5 Practices, there was a man waiting in the church office who needed a ride to St. Cloud in order to catch a bus to North Dakota.
There was no way I could take him and be back in time to start the Bible study, and at that moment, I understood why the priest walked right past the man on the side of the road in the Good Samaritan story. Fortunately, I appreciated the irony right away -- there was no way I could ignore a man who needed help in order to lead a study about service! So off I went, and the Bible study started without me, and when I got back, things had gotten along just fine in my absence.
Serving others. Doing something for someone else without any expectation of something equal in return. Why would we do that? What is your motivation for serving others in that way? Rev. Schnase believes there are a variety of motives, from a sense of duty and obligation to the good feeling we get from helping others. All of those motives are purified by the Holy Spirit and put to God's purposes.
My quote from this chapter was that Godly service happens in the place where "your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet".
Where do you find joy in serving? What deep hunger of the world is God leading you to meet?
There was no way I could take him and be back in time to start the Bible study, and at that moment, I understood why the priest walked right past the man on the side of the road in the Good Samaritan story. Fortunately, I appreciated the irony right away -- there was no way I could ignore a man who needed help in order to lead a study about service! So off I went, and the Bible study started without me, and when I got back, things had gotten along just fine in my absence.
Serving others. Doing something for someone else without any expectation of something equal in return. Why would we do that? What is your motivation for serving others in that way? Rev. Schnase believes there are a variety of motives, from a sense of duty and obligation to the good feeling we get from helping others. All of those motives are purified by the Holy Spirit and put to God's purposes.
My quote from this chapter was that Godly service happens in the place where "your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet".
Where do you find joy in serving? What deep hunger of the world is God leading you to meet?
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