BECAUSE I LOVE THE LORD
Recently two members of the church were recognized in a church paper. Both individuals are members of two different congregations. What stood out to me was what they did to serve and the length of that service. These passages came to mind, “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant (Mt.23:11); “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister…” (Mk. 10:45); “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58).
“Each Sunday, Arthur ‘Arturo’ James gets up at 5:30 a.m. to prepare the Lord’s Supper…He has served the congregation in this way for more than 15 years.” He was ask, “Why do you do this?” and his answer was, “Because I love the Lord.” Oh, by the way, this brother just celebrated his 95th birthday.
In another congregation, a sister by the name of Joyce Edmondson, was recently honored as the church custodian for 50 years. It was reported that when the celebration was over, she did what she has been doing for 50 years: She pulled out her vacuum cleaner and began to tidy up. Once, when in the hospital, she called the church secretary to make sure the diaper pail in the nursery and the waste basket in the communion preparation room had been emptied. She was concerned because peo-ple tend to forget those. Oh, by the way, she is 88.
These two above illustrations could be multiplied many times over because there are many who have served in various capacities; but all of us should remember that maybe we want to give up on a work in the church too soon. “Oh, I’m tired; I’ve been doing it for two years.” It takes a spirit of dedication. Paul commended the household of Stephanas, “I urge you, brethren–you know the house-hold of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints” (1 Cor. 16:15, NKJV).
We need more folks like Arthur James and Joyce Edmondson.