Word-Filled Wednesday ~#137~ All For Jesus

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." ~Col. 3:23-24

"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." ~Hebrews 13:2

I have always enjoyed helping people. It's not always easy ~ some people are more emotionally needy and some are not the easiest or most pleasant to help ~ but it's always worthwhile.

What makes it worthwhile is that I look at what I do as working for the Lord. 

Now, we are not promised that simply because the reason we serve people as we serve the Lord, that it will easy. No ~ this is a fallen old world and some people actually seem to enjoy making life difficult on those with good intentions. I just have to remember that Jesus didn't have it all that easy, either. I have been cursed at, accused of being a liar and slandered throughout my life, but I have not yet been physically injured or risked my life as Jesus did or as other believers all over the world have been. 

Working with the public can be interesting . . . to say the least. Just yesterday, I waited on a "gentleman" who had a somewhat foul mouth. After the 3rd "conversational" curse word, I asked him to please have a little respect for me as a lady. He was completely stumped as to what he had done wrong; when I explained to him that he had been using foul language, he hadn't even realized that he had. "You must get offended all the time." 

"No. Because most people understand that there is a respectful public vocabulary, no matter what vocabulary you might use at home." He still seemed rather stunned, but the rest of our time together went very well. 

Our girls have grown up hearing me say, "Someone has to 'be Jesus' in every situation and it will probably have to be you." I'm not saying you won't inwardly get mad or be offended, but when you can let the Holy Spirit catch you and help you hold your tongue so that you don't say or do the wrong thing and make matters worse, or let Him take control and soften the situation . . . well . . . just let Him. I could have been really rude and huffy to the man who was so foul, but even though I was VERY frank with him, I spoke firmly but politely ~ he got my point, he changed his vocabulary, it did not diminish my service to him, I checked him out and, hopefully, he learned something about manners. Who knows, seeds may have been planted for a future conversation that will open the doors for a relationship with Jesus.  

Another reason that dealing with the public is worthwhile is that I have probably entertained angels unawares. Isn't that a marvelous thing?!  Most of our customers are wonderful people, many are regulars. But I have been encouraged by several "new" customers over the years, and have wondered if they were ministering angels. Whether they were or not, the Lord has used others to encourage me, many times. 

We serve an incredible God. I am grateful that He is so huge, so magnificent that we can know Him but He cannot be completely known. He's simply far too big for that. What wonders He is capable of, how simply yet completely He loves us . . .  and yet, "He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted." (Job 5:9 & 9:10) 

Let Him come into your life today, then you, too, will live all for Jesus.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><