[Monday's Devotional] - Give and Take

Give and Take   Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 9: 42-45 [NIV] Jesus was very frustrated at the competitive nature of his disciples.  On one occasion James and John were seeking to have their status as "favourites" confirmed, asking if they could be seated either side of Jesus in Heaven.  Jesus felt that they had not understood that being great in Heaven is a result of faithful "cross-lifting" on earth.  Many who are thought of as leaders on earth might expect (if they believe in eternal life) that they will have a high status in Heaven.  Not so, Jesus taught! Jesus modelled servanthood to his disciples.  He sacrificed his own time and energy for the good of those around him in need.  He liked to spend time with the outcast, the sick, those with seemingly no voice or status in society, including tax collectors, thieves, lepers and prostitutes. Do we spend our time, energy and money on those who are needy?  Do we give generously or do we rather take what is on offer as a free gift and come back for more? Imagine a bank where everyone withdraws more than they have deposited… How could it survive?  In a church, the same rules apply, as they do for a nation living beyond its income.   If everyone takes more than they give we end up with an overdraft or a deficit, which means that the work of the church is stifled by the withholding of gifts (of money or services) from the congregation. Some people have said to me that they are weary and battle-worn and that they don't feel able to continue in a role of serving in the church, they just need to "take" for a while.  Whilst we all have good and bad times, a soldier who is rested but won't go back into battle is not much good to the army! To think about: What am I giving financially to the church?  Should I increase it? How am I spending my time?  Could I use my God-given gifts to build the church up more?   Dave MacLellan Twitter Website Copyright © 2016 St. Matthews & St. Oswalds Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthews & St. Oswalds Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!