How may I serve you?
"Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant," (Mt. 20:27 ).
Os Hillman shared the following story. He said it was true: A friend told a story about one of his closest friends who experienced great suffering for the soul of his persecutor in his place of work on a cargo ship. His boss was the captain. This man was a committed Christian who shared his faith with others and was a good worker.
One day the friend led the sea captain's girlfriend to Christ. The sea captain already hated and ridiculed the Christian worker because of his faith in Christ. When his girlfriend came to Christ, she stopped sleeping with the captain. The captain blamed the Christian man for the change in his girlfriend.
One day he entered the restaurant where the Christian man was having lunch. He walked over to his table and began hurling obscenities and began beating him. The Christian man simply tried to defend himself but did not fight back. The captain kept beating him until eventually the man lay on the floor bleeding.
Two men entered the restaurant and saw what was taking place. They jumped the sea captain and took him outside and began beating him. The sea captain was beaten so badly that he needed immediate medical attention. The Christian worker saw the condition of the sea captain, came to his aid, and began helping him.
The sea captain was so moved that this man could do this after he had literally beaten him bloody that he began to weep, not understanding what could move a man to have such love in the face of being beaten. The sea captain accepted Jesus at that moment.
Amazing, isn't it?
The Bible tells us "while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." Jesus came and paid our penalty so that sin would have no hold on us and NOTHING would ever again separate us from the love of God.
NOTHING!
Many people in your workplace have never known the love of Christ. They've never even seen it exhibited and have surely not had the experience. You might be the only one they ever meet who can introduce them to this love, even without saying a word.
Jesus came as our example. He modeled love and service in the marketplace. In fact, of His 52 parables, 45 had a workplace context
"Jesus called them together and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many,'" (Matt 20:25-28).
A Christian singer named Rich Mullins, now deceased, had just won the coveted Dove Award for the best album. Afterward, at the reception, where all the famous Christian singers gathered to celebrate, Rich grabbed a white waiter's jacket from the kitchen and spent the evening serving the others.
You've heard the phrase, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." When you genuinely take an interest in another person in the workplace, you will become credible in their eyes. You will stand out among the crowd. You may be the only REAL Christian they may feel they've ever met - and outside the walls of a church at that!
A quick read of Gary Chapman's book "The 5 Love Languages" reveals how important it is to learn what it takes for OTHERS to feel loved by you. To some, it's quality time. To others, it's a small gift. To others, it's physical touch. To someone else, it might be an act of service while others might feel most loved through affirming words.
Love and acceptance; these are what the world is looking for, things that are so rarely seen or experienced.
Every blessing,
Michael Tummillo
Founder, The Church @ Work
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