January 10, 2012

I don't write very often, but this morning this was really inspiring so I am sharing it.  I know that for most of us we are wrapped up in our problems, but I challenge you to step out and look for someone you can bless.  God will touch you as you do.  Yesterday  I spent time with a student who is interested in art.  I gave her a drawing book, but mostly we talked.  Then in the afternoon a teacher brought a student to me, and he is a needy student, I was touched that God would allow me to interact in his life and encourage him.  

Jon Campbell... Servant


This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles
at my word.  --Isaiah 66:2

A good friend of mine went home to be with Jesus. His name was Jon Campbell and
he was quite a servant. Whenever we were together, Jon would somehow, someway hunt
down the keys to my van and take it to the car wash. I tried to hide my keys several
times, but to no avail. An hour or so later, I'd look out the window and there he'd
be wiping the hubcaps. I never kept my van clean, but he sure did.

You may not think Jon's service was all that unusual. But up until he went to heaven,
Jon served as President of one of the most prominent media organizations in the
United States. He served on the board of trustees of colleges, and he helped lead
a prestigious national association with thousands of members. Jon was a busy man
 with many ministry priorities... and cleaning my van should not have been one of
them. But it was.

That's because Jon was not only a servant, but a humble one. He delighted in finding
lowly, menial tasks with which most people never bothered. He enjoyed doing things
quietly and discreetly, and he never drew attention to himself. Jon was truly "humble
and contrite in spirit." All of us who knew him are absolutely certain it's because
he trembled at God's Word.

Cultivate a spirit of humility today by doing a simple act of service and doing
it anonymously. Folding towels for your roommate... cutting roses for the desk of
a new employee... baking cookies for your co-workers... taking out trashcans for
 an elderly neighbor... scholarshiping a disabled kid to camp... giving a gift certificate
to a working single mom... washing a car for a friend.

Lord Jesus, may I follow your example of humble service today. Give me the resolve
to delight in doing things quietly without drawing attention to myself.