THANKLESS JOBS

"Well done, good and faithful servant" - Matthew 25:21

There are two jobs I would not want. One is President of the United States. No President ever has it easy. Even men of superior moral character have their every action scrutinized, criticized. Depending of the "spin" that follows they are demonized by some and supported by others only if their personal interests are not undermined by presidential action.

The other is school board member. Depending on the day of the week you run the most vital community institution or its most dangerous. Teachers want you interfere as little as possible with the educational process. Taxpayers want you to do it as cheaply as possible. Parents want you to make schools a safe place as long as you don't make rules that upset their children. Religious groups want you to indoctrinate people. Everybody thinks they can do your better than you, but they don't want to do the work (often involving countless volunteer hours) themselves because they have more important things to do.

I suspect you have your own list of thankless jobs. Coach of the Philadelphia Eagles comes to mind, along with meter maids. When a job is thankless, a person must be motivated by something other than praise. They must believe that they are providing an essential service -- to their country, to their community, to their society. They must believe that their efforts are rewarded by the success of the people they serve rather than by personal awards or approval.

Ultimately, Christians serve--first because it is their calling from God, and then because they know that is they are faithful, they will hear the words of their Lord some day saying "Well done, good and faithful servant." Sometimes the knowledge that in this world they have simply done what they believed was right has to be enough.

(C) 2010. This devotional is published on behalf of the Church of God of Landisville andits friends. You can subscribe to this blog by registering as a follower on Google or you can email the church at coglandisville@coglandisville.org.

TRUSTING GOD WITH THE DETAILS

(Note from Steve: I have not published in almost three weeks. My father had emergency surgery right after Christmas and I have spent many hours first going back and forth to the hospital in Hershey and then to Harrisburg to assist in his care upon his release. As life settles a bit, I hope to get back on track publishing this and my other blogs.)

"Abram believed God, and it was counted as righteousness." - Genesis 15:6

"Abram asked, 'How can I be certain this will come about?" - Genesis 15:8

Abram was a man called by God to receive an incredible blessing. He was going to become the father of a spiritual nation that would provide the human element to the foundations being laid for the very Kingdom of God. His people would commence a witness that would ultimately point to the mission of Jesus Christ and to set an example for righteousness (right-relationship with God.)

God very pointedly shared with Abram His vision for Abram's life and planted in him the dream to be this essential point person for God. Abram heard the call and embraced the dream. He believed God and it was counted as righteousness. It was his first expression of faith.

Yet two verses later, as God begins to lay out the details of how that vision will be accomplished, Abram is asking for proof--for verification. It's almost as if before he makes this step on obedience--of concretely following God's leading--he wants to know how God will accomplish it. No, really he's asking--how do I know you will accomplish it, O God?

Makes me wonder if God would now have second thoughts on giving Abram credit for being righteous.

So often it seems that we "believe" until we get down to the details. We want to examine the details to make sure there are no surprises that we didn't bargain for. That's probably necessary when men are doing the planning; but when God is the one doing the planning and leading, we need to be a lot more concerned with faithfulness in the journey instead of managing the itinerary. Faith is not blind, but after all these years God has more than amply proven His trustworthiness. And Who can improve on the Master Designer of the Universe as our guide?

This devotional is published on behalf of the Church of God of Landisville and its friends. (C) 2010 by Stephen Dunn. All rights reserved.