In our Master & Commander Series we are doing on Sunday mornings we talked about Swabbing the Deck. The Swabs were the least of all those on the ships, having to do all the dirty work, that no one else wanted to do. They were probably looked down upon by all of those who were on the ship with them. Do you know of anyone like that. Someone who always is the brunt of jokes and ridicule, or someone who may think that they don't exist to other people. These are the ones looked down on by society because of the way they look, dress, talk, etc. In other words they are not like everyone else. They are the swabs of society. These are the people that I believe God wants us to reach the most. Sure, it's easier to talk to people who are more like you, and I believe that God's wants us to do that to. But, too often we (me included) forget about the ones that no one else cares to reach out to. The poor, the "Goths", people of different race or culture. The downtrodden, the Broken, the people who have been humbled by society.
Read Matthew 25:31-46
By serving the least of society we are, in essence, serving Jesus. Is this verse a call to serve these people or what. Jesus will recognize us as sheep because of how we serve people here on earth. Are you being a sheep? Is your faith coming out in the way that you live?
Jesus came to serve, and there is few greater examples of that than when he, the Kings of Kings and the Lord of Lords, washed the feet of those who looked to him as Master, and he washed the feet of those of whom some would later betray him. That is a picture of a servant. Let's not look down on those who are the least of society, but let's go down there with them. They are among us everywhere that we go. At work, at school, at Wal-Mart, and unfortunately at our places of worship. Are you willing to wash their feet. Are you willing to also be looked down upon for helping them. I know it is something I need to work on.
God Bless
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Hey Matt!!
I just wanted to tell you that I really enjoy your blog site. Everything you post is great!!
~!SaMaNtHa H.!~
I saw this comment on Mike Cope's blog and thougt I would post it here. If you are reading this please take a minute and pray for this young boy. This is not one of those stupid e-mail forwards, this is for real.
Hello. I'm sorry to use this blog for this purpose, but I need to let the blog family know about my son Tyler so you can pray for him. My wife Laura and I discovered yesterday that my 5 year old has a brain tumor. I have inserted an email that I sent to my church family in Bloomington, IL. Please pray for my son and family.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am writing tonight with a very heavy heart. As most of you know, Tyler has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. This tumor is about 1 inch in diameter and is in the center of his brain. The size is relatively large for a 5 year old and the location is not good, meaning that surgery is more complex. Tyler also has fluid on the brain, a direct result of the tumor. Laura and I went to a surgeon Monday afternoon. He suggested surgery to be done to remove the tumor, which would also take care of the fluid issue. He described this surgery as risky compared to the other options, however this surgery in his opinion is the best solution. He suggested that the surgery be done soon, maybe even by the end of this week. After the removal of the tumor they can determine if cancer is present. Laura and I are going to Peoria on Tuesday to get 2nd and 3rd opinions, including a visit to the St. Jude clinic for a possible referral to St. Jude in Memphis. On Wednesday we might get additional opinions (maybe Chicago, Indy, Vanderbilt in Nashville, we are not sure yet) as we try to wrap our arms around this situation. Obviously we want the best care for Tyler, and unfortunately we are dealing with the red tape of insurance. Ultimately we don't care what it costs to get him well; we are prepared to do anything.
This time is devastating to us. This event ranks near the top of the worst things that could happen to our family. On the outside we see a very healthy and happy boy, but that is not the case. We are scared, confused, shocked and fearful of what is to come. We are praying constantly for a miracle. God can remove this tumor. I am asking you to ask Him for this. If this is not to be, we ask that you pray that we will find a pediatric neural surgeon that can take care of our boy. This decision is critical and we need God's direction. We are praying for no cancer. Please keep this in your prayers as well. Finally, our family needs your help. Please pray for not only Laura, Luke and I, but also the grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc.
As of right now we have not told Tyler or Luke, although we believe Luke knows there is a problem. We have no clue how we are going to tell our boys, so we ask that God gives us the words. Before we tell them we plan to seek counsel from those involved to tell us the best way to do this.
We have received numerous visits, phone calls and emails and we thank you. We simply do not know what we would do without God's family walking with us. Please continue this journey with us. We need your support, prayers and love.
More to come...we love you!
Mark and Laura Stewart
Sorry I didn't post it before but here is Mike Cope's blog address right here. The family may post updates on there.
mikecope.blogspot.com
Post a Comment