Monthly Archives: February 2021

Make Me a Servant

27 Feb

Lough Fook was a Chinese Christian in the 1860’s. At that time many Chinese men were being shipped to British Guyana and other places as indentured servants. When Fook heard about these “coolies”, he was filled with compassion and a desire for them to know Christ.

Fook ended up selling himself as an indentured servant so he could live amongst the other coolies and share Jesus with them. Before he died at just 43 years old, Fook had converted 100-200 fellow servants and established the first Baptist Church in South America.

I was blown away by this story and it left me asking myself, “Would I do that? Do I love Jesus and my fellowmen enough to make that kind of sacrifice, to become a slave in order to save other slaves?”

As I thought about this, I realized this is exactly what Jesus calls us to do. In Philippians 2:5-8 we are told:

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!”

A life lived in selfish pursuit of our own interests is a life wasted. It is only when we follow Christ’s example, giving ourselves fully in service to our Heavenly Father and our fellowmen, that we find true meaning and purpose for our lives. Anything less is a waste of time.

Today take a moment to ask yourself the question, “What would I do for Jesus?” If you, like me, find yourself hesitating at the consequences of this question, then maybe it’s time for a little soul searching and reconsideration of your priorities.

God has a work for each of us to do. He may not be calling you to go overseas or to sell yourself into servitude like Lough Fook, but He is calling you to a life of service right where you are. When you truly fall in love with Jesus you can’t help but love His children too.

This week ask God to open your eyes to the world around you, to see others’ needs, and to teach you to love as He did, not just “with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3:18 NIV). Let your prayer be each and every day, “Lord, make me a servant, a servant like You.”

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

6 Feb

“Should I stay or should I go?”

These words, sung by the punk rock group The Clash, kept echoing through my mind this week. I’m no fan of punk rock, but these lyrics fit the dilemma I faced perfectly.

Over the last few months I’d become disillusioned with my job at Occupational Health. It was a different type of medicine then I’d done before and I found myself increasingly stressed and anxious. I’d decided to look for something else and about 1-½ weeks ago I finally got a good offer from a local family practice group.

I should have been ecstatic, but I found myself torn. Things had improved at Occupational Health. I’d grown comfortable there and I really enjoyed working with the wonderful staff each day. Thus my dilemma. “Should I stay or should I go?”

So often in life we each face this question, in one form or another. “Should I stay at this job or move on?” “Should I stick it out with this relationship or call it quits?” “Should I stay in school or find a job?” It can be hard to know what to do, especially when the options are equally good (or bad).

In Jeremiah 29 the Israelite exiles faced this question. They were chafing under Babylon’s rule, longing to return to their homeland, but God told them instead to “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce…, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (vs. 5, 7).

God was telling them to stay where they were, which was the last thing they wanted to hear. God sought to ease their disappointment by adding this wonderful reassurance in verse 11, “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” In other words, He was saying, “Trust me! I know what I’m doing.”

In my case, I decided to do just that. to trust God’s plans are the best. After talking with Ana and doing a lot of praying, I knew the right thing to do was to stay at Occupational Health. I decided to follow God’s advice to “seek the peace and prosperity” of the place God has put me to work, to “pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, [ I ] too will prosper.” I can hardly wait to see what He has planned!

You too may be facing a dilemma right now, asking yourself, “Should I stay or should I go?” If so, take it to the Lord in prayer. He promises to “instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.” (Proverbs 4:11).

You may not always understand why God leads one way or another, but still “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him…” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Trust Him always – even if He tells you to “stay” when you’d much rather “go”!