We should always be willing to help others and be quick to lend a helping
hand. Jesus said by this shall all men know that you are my disciples;
that you love one another even as I have loved you. If we want people to
come to know the Lord, then we should spend more time encouraging them and
not be critical or judgmental because they are not living according to
our qualifications. (John 13:34-35)

In this story we read how we should be willing to help and to care for
others, not so that our name can be lifted up, but so that the love of God
can be shown through our actions. I hope you'll be ministered to by this
message and remember to do your good deeds in secret and God will reward
your deeds in this life and the life to come in Heaven. (Matthew 6:3-4)


IT REALLY DIDN'T MATTER

The young people at Shively Christian Church, led at the time by Youth 
Pastor Dave Stone, were fiercely competitive with their neighbor Church, 
Shively Baptist, in all things, especially softball. They were also 
serious about their Christianity, faithfully attending the summer Bible 
camp lead by the youth pastor. 

One week, the Bible lesson was about Jesus washing His disciples' feet, 
from John 13. To make the servanthood lesson stick, Pastor Stone divided
the kids into groups and told them to go out and find a practical way to 
be servants. 

"I want you to be Jesus in the city for the next two hours," he said. "If
Jesus were here, what would He do? Figure out how He would help people."

Two hours later the kids reconvened in Pastor Stones' living room to 
report what they had done. 

One group had done two hours of yard work for an elderly man. Another 
group bought ice-cream treats and delivered them to several widows in the
church. A third group visited a church member in the hospital and gave 
him a card. Another group went to a nursing home and sang Christmas
carols, yes, carols in the middle of August. One elderly resident remarked
that it was the warmest Christmas she could remember. 

But when the fifth group stood up and reported what they had done, 
everyone groaned. This group had made its way to none other than their 
archrival, Shively Baptist, where they had asked the pastor if he knew 
someone who needed help. The pastor sent them to the home of an elderly 
woman who needed yard work done. There, for two hours, the mowed grass, 
raked the yard and trimmed hedges. 

When they were getting ready to leave, the woman called the group together
and thanked them for their hard work. "I don't know how I could get along
without you," she told them. "You kids at Shively Baptist are always 
coming to my rescue."

"Shively Baptist!" interrupted pastor stone. "I sure hope you set her 
straight and told her you were from Shively Christian church."

"Why no, we didn't," the kids said. "We didn't think it mattered."

By: Charles W. Colson


I wish more people had the same attitude as the kids in this story. We
should not look for credit when we do something good for someone else, but
we should do that good deed as if we were doing it for the Lord. There 
are many Christians in the world today that waste so much time arguing 
over their denomination, instead of investing that time and energy 
glorifying the Lord through their life. 

I encourage you to not look for a reward when you do a good deed for 
someone else, but rather look to the Lord and know that He sees every 
sacrifice that you make on behalf of someone else and He will reward you 
in like manner, so never allow anyone to tell you that helping someone else
is a waste of your time. 


Read and meditate on these scriptures:

Matthew 6:3-4 Jesus says, "…when you do a charitable deed, do not let your
left hand know what your right hand is doing, "that your charitable deed 
may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward 
you openly."

John 13:34-35 Jesus says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love
one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. "By this
all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Luke 6:33-36 Jesus says, "…if you do good to those who do good to you, 
what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. "And if you lend
to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? 
For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. "But love your 
enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward
will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to 
the unthankful and evil. "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also
is merciful."

All scriptures can be found in the New King James Version.


Remember: Some of life's greatest memories will not be what we did for 
ourselves, but what we did for others. 

In Christ Service, 

Dwayne Savaya 
Gods Work Ministry