On Wednesday, Nonie and I fly back to America. Today, I spoke at St. Paul’s Church and last Wednesday evening, Nonie and I spoke at Mouchou Lu Church. These were our last farewells to the two congregations where we have had the great honor to serve the Chinese people over the past three years. Our time in China has come to a close and it is an emotional time for us to say good bye. My message today was simple. Based on John 13:1-5; 12-17, I spoke on the topic of having a willing heart to serve others. I suspect that true service is an outgrowth of genuine humility. Just as the truly humble person has no idea that he is humble, the true servant doesn’t see what he does as anything special. That’s true because humility is not merely thinking little of one’s self; it’s not thinking of one’s self at all. A true servant doesn’t think about how he or she feels. A true servant looks at the needs around him/her and just does what needs to be done, without being asked; without expectation of reward; without expectation of thanks; with nothing more at heart than a desire to love and act like Jesus. Having a heart to serve does not come naturally. It is not what we do in our own human, sinful nature; it is something that we do simply because Jesus asked us to do it. But, to do that, we must deny ourselves and follow Him, and allow the Holy Spirit to direct and reign in our life. As Nonie and I transition back to the American way of life, God grant us the strength and wisdom to not forget the important lessons we learned while serving in China. We pray that we will continue to have a heart to serve like Him. John 13:16-17 "I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." We serve merely because God has asked us to do it. Ron
Posted on: Sun, 07 Jul 2013 14:38:14 +0000