Serving God and Others
By GARY TOOLE
Jesus said that He didn't come to be served but rather to serve. That should tell us all that we need to know. Christ is our example. So serve!

And how is the best way to serve God? By serving others. Some say, "I don't know what to do. I don't know how to serve. I have no talent. I just go to church. That's all I can do!" The song "Excuses" would come in handy right about now. We are so brainwashed to think that serving involves some out front job like singing, preaching or playing an instrument. We need to stop that. The greatest way to serve God is behind the scenes; out in the trenches where folks are really hurting. Instead of making up poor excuses, just say, "Lord, I am willing. Now show me the way."

What got me onto this subject was when I was preparing a sermon on serving; on service. I was watching a public service announcement on television and a lady doctor who had seen 42 patients was on her way home and she stopped by the selfserve and took a tire gauge and checked her tires. I thought, "What has this country come to?" Back in the early 1960s, I got $2.00 worth of gasoline at 29 9/10 per gallon and they pumped my gasoline, checked the oil and vacuumed out my car. Believe it or not! Now, that was the kind of service that God likes.

I recently went to Thomason to get my column in that paper and as I left town I stopped at this little old-fashioned service station and their gas price was the same as the self-serve and they pumped it, checked my oil and washed my windshield. I had to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming. Service!

In Aiken, S.C., there is a waitress who is 82 years old at the Waffle House and she is known far and wide for loving to serve the public. She's been a waitress for 64 years and she still loves it. She reminds me of the waitresses in the old diners years ago.

As a traveling salesman I would stop in for coffee and for 10 cents they would give me a big old thick ceramic cup and those waitresses would pour you coffee as long as you could stand it. For the most part so many seemed like they enjoyed serving. Now folks seem like they hate any job where they have to serve the public. Of course, the attitude of the public has changed somewhat too. Now we've got this self service. There are no waitresses at the fast food and no service station attendants at the self-serve pump.

This self serve attitude has penetrated this society. Self serve. I'll serve myself and forget the rest. Jesus said that he came to serve. You see the devil has a slick way of getting his job done. He eases things in subtly.

I was listening to a Christian talk show on the radio and two preachers said that the worst problem with the church of today is finding qualified men to serve as leaders and as deacons. One asked, "Well, what do you do? Use unqualified men or use some women." They agreed not to use unqualified men, but no one even commented on the women. They probably caught it from their wives when they got home.

So what do you do? Well, let me tell you that God ain't gonna be out of business because of gender. Years ago many faithful women kept the churches going and helped build and organize churches and stayed on their knees. Serve. Men and women, boys and girls. Serve. Can you say amen?

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