“He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:11–13, HCSB)
But to all who did receive Him. Have you ever noticed how easy it is to get distracted by the negative? All the time I see the spot on my shirt and not the beauty of the garment. When one person makes a snide remark, I remember that instead of the dozens of compliments I have received at almost the same time. What a mess we are!
Being an effective and willing worker for the Lord Jesus turns that around and chooses to focus on those who respond. I am not the 4thperson of the Godhead, and neither are you. We can’t change anyone. In fact, we have a very hard time changing ourselves. Right?
So, when someone responds, that’s God’s indication that He is working in his or her heart. “Go with the goers,” the saying says. Take a few minutes right now and make a list of the people within your sphere of influence who listen to you … those who respect us enough to listen to what we have to say and consider it. That’s our “Goers” list. We will want to pour your time and effort into those people.
So, what should we do with them? How do we work with them? What does God expect us to share with them? “He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name.” Show them how to fully embrace and live out being God’s child. Being childlike is totally different that being adult-like or Bible school or seminary-like.
And be the living example of what it means to live by faith, to “believe in His name.”Notice that it isn’t about creeds and rules; it’s about relationship (being a child who has a loving father) and belief (knowing we are loved by our Daddy in Heaven. (When Jesus prayed He used the Aramaic form of Father, “Abba,” which is best translated, “Daddy.” That’s a great example for us, and a great place to start!
Show – don’t just tell – those you are working with what it means to be the small child with the powerful and loving daddy. The one who can be trusted and called on whenever there is a bully, a boo-boo, or a bad day. Our Father in Heaven loves his kids – that’s what we show.
Willing Worker Wednesdays are dedicated to explaining the core realties of servant leadership – the Biblical principles and methods used by God’s faithful people throughout time. They further reflect the lifestyle of Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords as He walked on this earth announcing the Kingdom of God had arrived. These brief lessons are written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and come from his extensive ministry within the local church, in higher education, in church consulting and as a Biblical author and leader.
