Bob’s Observations About Service
Several years ago, a friend of mine and his dad were getting ready to add an addition to his home. He had asked several friends to come over and help with some heavy lifting. Only three people came: my friend, his dad, and Bob, one of their friends. One of the heavy-lifting jobs involved unloading a truckload of wallboard.
Now this wallboard came in a pack of two sheets that were approximately 4’ x 8’ and they weighed about forty-five pounds per sheet, so each pack was rather bulky and weighed about ninety pounds. It was no problem for two guys to handle a pack of wallboard, but because there were only three of them, the process moved slowly. As they started unloading the wallboard, Bob started commenting on a mutual friend, whose name was Lee-Ray, and how he could handle a pack of wallboard all by himself.
You know I seen Lee-Ray handle one of these packs all by himself,” Bob quipped as they took turns doubling up on the wallboard.
“We would have this truck unloaded in no time if Lee-Ray was here,” Bob said, as he looked at the work yet to be done.
“Lee-Ray sure is strong and it would go a lot faster if Lee-Ray was here,” Bob continued.
My friend’s dad, fed up with all the talk, set down his end of the wallboard, walked up to Bob, looked him squarely in the eyes and said, “Bob, Lee-Ray AIN’T here!” They finished unloading the wallboard without any more references to Lee-Ray.
My Observations About Service
I have thought about Lee-Ray and Bob’s observations about Lee-Ray often: when I am preparing to do a task that I would rather not do, that I think someone else could do better, or, perhaps I could spend my valuable time doing something more “important.” WOW! Sometimes I can be really short-sighted; sometimes I just wish someone else would do it, and sometimes I am just plain arrogant about the value of my time or the importance of the task at hand!
God and Serving
Joseph spent years working faithfully as a servant and as a prisoner before God elevated him; Moses was a shepherd for 40 years before he was ready to lead; Gideon was a reluctant warrior (with many excuses); and I could mention Esther, Isaiah, Peter, Ananias, etc… The Bible has many examples of how individuals did the tasks the Lord gave them (some grumbling, some not) and how that activity was a precursor to many other things.
At times, my life is full of excuses, well wishes, waiting for the right time, and thoughts of great things to come, however, none of those things get the wallboard unloaded! Colossians 3:23, 24 says.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”
Whether or not you are serving in exactly the way you want to serve right now, my encouragement is to serve. Perhaps the Lord is preparing you for something else, but we need to know that He will do it in His time. Proverbs 14:23 is a good reminder for us all.
In all toil there is profit,
but mere talk tends only to poverty.”
Serving at FCA
Don’t just muse about serving – there is profit in all your service! From lunch duty to making copies, there are many opportunities to serve at Faith Christian Academy! I encourage you to look into how you can bless our community here today!
Interested in serving the FCA community? Contact us at office@fcaclassical.com.
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