October 8th Devotion

Serving Joyfully
By Laura Bailey 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” Matthew 11:28 NIV

“Do you ever feel weary, like you are trying to solve the world’s problems, and it’s just too much?” I inquired of my friend over coffee one morning. Smiling, she replied, “Sometimes, but I am sure you do because you feel everyone’s problem is yours.”

Earlier that month, I shared my ministry frustrations with my husband. I felt particularly disappointed after an event I helped host at the church, which, in my opinion, had flopped. Taking it personally, I shamefully informed the Lord, “I am exhausted from this, so it is someone else’s turn to step up to the plate because I am taking a break.”

Little did I know that the next week, within days of each other, we would learn that two close friends of ours passed away. To say that this sad news rocked my world was an understatement. I couldn’t help but wonder if I could have done more for them. I was reminded of the verse in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” I prayed, “Lord, I am burdened and weary and do not see a time when I can rest. Please show me how I can rest in You and do Your work.”

I didn’t need a break from ministry and serving others; I needed a perspective shift. Instead of seeing ministering as helpful or loving obedience to God, It was just another task on my spiritual to-do list. I wanted to give up on people after there was no evidence of changes in their behavior or lifestyle, and this is precisely what our greatest enemy wants us to do and believe: that our actions for God are meaningless and useless. Satan wants us to give up, to cease fighting for souls around us, and especially to stop encouraging other Believers in Christ. Jesus called Satan the father of lies, one who seeks to devour us, to tear us down in mind, heart, and spirit, crippling all efforts to bring God glory.

True, we may never witness the lasting impressions a kind word, a note, or a meal leaves on people -- the smile directed to a woman in the grocery store who is in an abusive relationship, the money sent to a nearby family who struggles to pay bills or the hug given to a grieving parent. In a world of instant gratification, we want to know right then and there that our actions have meaning and produce results. I, indeed, am guilty of this.

One of the friends referenced above was a firm Believer, and I always knew what a blessing she was to others, but in days and weeks after her death, the stories of her never-ending compassion and love for others poured out. On the surface, her acts of kindness appear to be small and simple; she probably had no idea of their effect, but no doubt, they had a vast, eternal impact on the lives she touched. I remember distinctly the day she asked me to pray about her fostering a child. Astonished, I exclaimed, “Are you crazy? Why would you, a young, single, small business owner with many things going on, want to take on that?” She just smiled, “Because there is a child out there who needs my help, and I feel God calling me to do more.”

This sister in Christ was not living for herself or man’s approval but for God. She put others first and her comfort second, a true testimony of Christ in her life. When I want to settle back to give someone else a go because I’m tired or discouraged, I will think about Christ’s love for me and my sorely missed friend, who, though weak and weary, faithfully lived this command.