Yesterday our church family decided to forgo our normal worship service in lieu of serving our community. We gathered together, prepared for service in 16 different places, dispersed throughout the city, served and then returned to share our experiences. I’ve never been happier with or more proud of our church than I was that day.
We volunteered at the Track Shack 5K Reindeer Run at Sea World, at the Hemophilia Foundation Holiday Walk at Lake Eola, and at the Orlando Children’s Church. At least three different groups went caroling at Florida Hospital while children and their parents visited 170 cancer and NICU patients, bringing them bags filled with blessings. We wrote letters to military personnel, tilled gardens at a local school and cleaned carpets at a community center. Four hundred plus members of the Florida Hospital Church served the city, and if we’re not careful we could actually be deluded into thinking that we did a good thing.
As Christians, we are convinced that our salvation, our redemption, our future, our life, our eternity, our very existence is completely dependant on Christ. We hold that our actions, our deeds or misdeeds, our morality or lack there of, is as filthy rags in the presence of a Holy God. It’s the distinguishing doctrine of Christianity. We are not capable of doing any good thing.
It's not to hard to get most Christians to agree that we don’t do anything to affect our own salvation, but we can be quickly tempted to believe that our actions have an eternal effect on others. It’s sort of crazy; we think that, while our good works do nothing for our own salvation, without our efforts others will never be saved.
So what's the point? Why get up at 5:00 am and pass out water to runners? Why pack bags with books and snacks and deliver them to cancer patients? Why clean carpets for people we’ll never see or know?
I began to understand the value of our service the first time my four-year-old son helped me wash my car. His help cost me time and resulted in a worse job than I’d have done alone, but the thrill of having a son that wants to help his father is hard to explain, and the value to the son is incalculable.
God, in his infinite grace, has allowed us to help him in his work - but remember, when we serve others, it’s not an act of our graciousness. Our service is an act of God's grace to us. I’ve no doubt that God could more efficiently complete his work without me, and I’m certain that Christ will accomplish what he has intended to accomplish. But yesterday he let me and four hundred of my friends help, and I’m as proud and happy as a four-year-old washing his Daddy’s hub caps.
I want to do it again - how about you?
John Monday
We volunteered at the Track Shack 5K Reindeer Run at Sea World, at the Hemophilia Foundation Holiday Walk at Lake Eola, and at the Orlando Children’s Church. At least three different groups went caroling at Florida Hospital while children and their parents visited 170 cancer and NICU patients, bringing them bags filled with blessings. We wrote letters to military personnel, tilled gardens at a local school and cleaned carpets at a community center. Four hundred plus members of the Florida Hospital Church served the city, and if we’re not careful we could actually be deluded into thinking that we did a good thing.
As Christians, we are convinced that our salvation, our redemption, our future, our life, our eternity, our very existence is completely dependant on Christ. We hold that our actions, our deeds or misdeeds, our morality or lack there of, is as filthy rags in the presence of a Holy God. It’s the distinguishing doctrine of Christianity. We are not capable of doing any good thing.
It's not to hard to get most Christians to agree that we don’t do anything to affect our own salvation, but we can be quickly tempted to believe that our actions have an eternal effect on others. It’s sort of crazy; we think that, while our good works do nothing for our own salvation, without our efforts others will never be saved.
So what's the point? Why get up at 5:00 am and pass out water to runners? Why pack bags with books and snacks and deliver them to cancer patients? Why clean carpets for people we’ll never see or know?
I began to understand the value of our service the first time my four-year-old son helped me wash my car. His help cost me time and resulted in a worse job than I’d have done alone, but the thrill of having a son that wants to help his father is hard to explain, and the value to the son is incalculable.
God, in his infinite grace, has allowed us to help him in his work - but remember, when we serve others, it’s not an act of our graciousness. Our service is an act of God's grace to us. I’ve no doubt that God could more efficiently complete his work without me, and I’m certain that Christ will accomplish what he has intended to accomplish. But yesterday he let me and four hundred of my friends help, and I’m as proud and happy as a four-year-old washing his Daddy’s hub caps.
I want to do it again - how about you?
John Monday
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