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William Gaultiere, Ph.D.
Director of New Hope at the Crystal Cathedral Psychologist, http://www.christiansoulcare.com/

Have you ever thought about how Jesus lived his life on earth? He repaired broken chairs. He fixed breakfast. He washed feet. He touched lepers. He healed sick people. He played with children. He listened to the broken-hearted. He went to parties with social outcasts. He invited the poor into the Kingdom of Heaven. Day after day for three years he quietly taught a few uneducated men and women in how to be his apprentices in godly living. He loved his enemies, blessed those who cursed him, and prayed for those who abused and crucified him.

Little is Much!

If Jesus Christ, the glorious and almighty Son of God, lived as a servant then so should we! Jesus talked about this continually:

Do your good deeds in secret. Whoever wants to be great must become the servant. The first shall be last and the last shall be first. Blessed are the merciful. Give and it shall be given unto you. It's more blessed to give than to receive. Give a cup of cold water. Feed the hungry, care for the sick, visit those in prison. Wash one another's feet. Welcome little children. Love your enemies. Bless those who insult you. Pray for those who persecute you. Give away your coat. Go the extra mile. As you do unto the least of these so you've done unto me.

Richard Foster explained how Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897) in her short life learned that serving Jesus by caring for other people in little ways is a big deal:

This Little Way, as she called it, is deceptively simple. It is in short, to seek out the menial job, to welcome unjust criticism, to befriend those who annoy us, to help those who are ungrateful. For her part, Therese was convinced that these "trifles" pleased Jesus more than the great deeds of recognized holiness.

The beauty of the Little Way is how utterly available it is to everyone. From the child to the adult, from the sophisticated to the simple, from the most powerful to the least influential, all can undertake this ministry of small things. The opportunities to live in this way come to us constantly, while the great fidelities happen only now and again. Almost daily we can give smiling service to nagging co-workers, listen attentively to silly bores, express little kindnesses without making a fuss (Prayer, p. 62).

Serving God in the "Little Way" doesn't get much attention. We'd rather do great things for God that are applauded by large crowds. It's the quiet, humble way of what Pastor Jim Kok calls "simple acts of care and kindness" that gives them their great value. They lend dignity and hope to those who need it desperately and they work to conquer our own selfish ambition and pride.

These quietly offered generosities are truly the work of Christ. Meister Eckehart (1260-1327) a German mystic who lived over 600 years ago taught that if you're in prayer and find yourself caught up in the third heaven and happen to remember that a poor widow needed food you should break off the prayer instantly and go care for the widow. Then you can take up the prayer where you left off and the Lord will make it up to you.

Let Jesus Serve You so You can Serve Others

We need to admit that seeing how Jesus lived so generously and compassionately is not enough to enable us to follow his example. We can't imitate Christ until we internalize Christ. We have to let Jesus come to us to minister to us before we can go out and minister to others in his name.

The Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard tells a story that inspires and empowers me to follow Jesus in Therese of Lisieux's Little Way of menial service and caring for those who get passed over:

Suppose there was a king who loved a humble maiden. The king was like no other king. Every statesman trembled before his power. No one dared breathe a word against him, for he had the strength to crush all opponents. And yet this mighty king was melted by love for a humble maiden who lived in a poor village in his kingdom. How could he declare his love for her? In an odd sort of way, his kingliness tied his hands. If he brought her to the palace and crowned her head with jewels and clothed her body in royal robes, she would surely not resist-no one dared resist him. But would she love him?

She would say she loved him, of course, but would she truly? Or would she live with him in fear, nursing a private grief for the life she had left behind? Would she be happy at his side? How could he know for sure? If he rode to her forest cottage in his royal carriage, with an armed escort waving bright banners, that too would overwhelm her. He did not want a cringing subject. He wanted a lover, an equal. He wanted her to forget that he was a king and she a humble maiden and to let shared love cross the gulf between them. For it is only in love that the unequal can be made equal.

The king, convinced he could not elevate the maiden without crushing her freedom, resolved to descend to her. Clothed as a beggar, he approached her cottage with a worn cloak fluttering loose about him. This was not just a disguise - the king took on a totally new identity - He had renounced his throne to declare his love and to win hers.

You know who this love-struck king turned beggar is don't you? He's the same king who came disguised as a waiter in one of Jesus' parables (Luke 12:35-48). He's the one the Scriptures record as saying he came from heaven to serve and not to be served. He's the one who stooped down to make people like us great! He's Jesus!

When I let Jesus love me then I can overflow with his love to others - "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). When I wait to receive the Holy Spirit from Jesus as the apostles did at Pentecost then I am empowered to do God's work (Acts 2:1-4).

Overflow on Others

The early followers of Christ celebrated Jesus' incarnational way of life and they summarized it in the great "Kenosis Hymn" of Philippians 2:6-11 which presents the story of Jesus' emptying himself for us.

Jesus, who was "in very nature God. made himself nothing" or "emptied himself (NASB)" by "taking the very nature of a servant" (human) and living humbly, obediently, and sacrificially to the end of "death on a cross!" and "therefore God exalted him to the highest place" (all quotes NIV except the one indicated). The divine flow of the hymn goes: privilege -> servanthood (or self-emptying sacrifice) -> exaltation.

The Apostle Paul recited the Kenosis Hymn in his prison letter to the Philippians because they were struggling with selfishness and arrogance (2:3). He wanted them to live in the wonderful flow of Christ's kenosis, to discover the joy of "thinking of others as better than yourself" (2:3b, NLT). So he urged them to pattern their lives after his (3:17) because as a "slave of Christ" (1:1) he personally lived in Christ's kenosis flow (3:4-11):

• He knew he was privileged by God in many ways,
• He counted all these things as a loss and embraced Christ's sufferings
• He looked to God to resurrect him to new life

Paul thrilled to empty himself out by serving others for Christ!

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead" (Philippians 1:21, 2:17, 3:8b, 10b-11, NIV).

What a beautiful approach Paul took to encourage the Philippians to serve others: he reminded them of Jesus' example and he showed it to them in his own life. In closing his letter Paul affirmed the Philippians for an example of how they had already resisted selfishness by generously sending him gifts that he described as "a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable to God and pleases him" (4:18b, NLT).

Set Limits

In 2 Corinthians 9:6-12 the Apostle Paul gives us some very important teaching on how to give and how not to give care to others. He shows us that there are three kinds of givers:

• Guilt Givers: Give and give because they "should." They give reluctantly out of obligation and feel that they can't give enough. Guilt givers are prone to "stress overload."
• Vacuum Givers: Give out of compulsive neediness. They're empty, but they keep trying to give anyway. They "burn out."
• Cheerful Givers: (1) Give freely out of the overflow of God's grace in their hearts. (2) Focus on using their gifts and passions in ministry. (3) Can say no and, therefore, can say yes.

People who are ministered to be cheerful givers are blessed, empowered to live well, and are thankful to God.

You are the Light of the World

To serve others in the Joy of Christ we've got to accept our God-ordained role to be a blessing to others. Jesus said, "You are the light of the world." Listen to his words in The Message:

You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. 16Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand - shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16, MSG).

You're the light of the world. You are the light of the world. This is what Jesus said. Who was he calling the light of the world? Who was in crowd listening to Jesus? People who didn't think themselves to be the light of the world. Sinners. Prostitutes. Drunkards. Social outcasts. The poor and those with no education. Jesus offered the Kingdom of heaven especially to these people. They were the last and the least, but by going to Jesus they became the first and the greatest.

Can you see yourself in this crowd? Can you hear Jesus saying to you. "You are the light of the world. ___________ is the light of the world. ____________ is the light of the world."

Many people have a hard time accepting that they are the light of the world. We want to say, Jesus is the light of the world. Yes, he is. But you and I are too. He has given us his light, his goodness and glory, to shine from our hearts.

You are a unique person with your own shape and your own place in life. In your home and your job and in all of your activities as you go about your life you have opportunities that no one else has. If you don't shine your light where you go then it'll be dark in those places. If you turn off your light then there are people around you who will miss heaven's color and warmth that they needed through you.

You are the light of the world. Today. Right here in your chair. God's light in you is desperately needed!

You need to practice that. You need to practice three minutes every day looking at the person in the mirror and saying, "You are the light of the world." You might be embarrassed to do this. You might laugh out of awkwardness. You might cry because you've never felt very important before. Don't give up. Say it and believe it!

Anyone can be an Encourager

Anyone who trusts in Jesus can be the light of the world. In God's plan each of us are much-needed encouragers. No matter who you are and what your struggles are you can have a powerfully positive impact on other people - especially your spouse!

In The Simple Truths of Service Ken Blanchard and Barbara Glanz tell the story of Johnny the Bagger. Barbara gave a seminar on the power of words to bless other people. A month later she got a call from a 19-year old grocery store bagger named Johnny who had Downs Syndrome. He told her, "I liked what you talked about, but I didn't think I could do anything special for our customers, after all, I'm just a bagger." Then he proceeded to tell her about an idea that came to him.

Johnny explained that every night he would find a good thought that he could share with others. Then he and his dad sat down at the computer and entered the saying six times on a page. Then Johnny printed off 50 pages, cut off the 300 copies, and signed his name to every note. The next morning when Johnny went to work he put the stack of notes next to him while he bagged people's groceries. For each customer he put one note on the top of the last bag he filled and then he looked the person in the eye and said: "I put a great saying in your bag. I hope it helps you have a good day. Thanks for coming in."

The grocery store manager couldn't believe what happened in his store. The line at Johnny's checkout was three times longer than anybody else's! He tried to get people to move to a shorter line so they could get on their way, but they all said: "That's okay, we'll wait. We want to be in Johnny's line. We want to get his thought for the day!"

And Johnny's influence didn't stop there! Over the next couple of months others at the store started to follow Johnny's example. When the Floral Department had a broken flower or an unused corsage instead of throwing it away they found an elderly woman or a little girl and pinned it on her. The guys who worked on the shopping carts made sure that all the wheels on the carts really worked. Employees greeted customers with a smile and friendly words. The whole culture of the store became cheerful, considerate, and kind - like Johnny the Bagger.

Do you know who the most important person was in that grocery store? Johnny the Bagger. He's not the owner or the store manager. He isn't even a supervisor. He sure isn't making much money and he doesn't have a very high IQ. But he's the most important person in the whole store.

Jesus said that in his Kingdom of the Heavens the last are first and the least are the greatest. Johnny was the last and the least. By sharing with people God's love from his heart in the form of these little notes he became the first and the greatest. Johnny the Bagger with Downs Syndrome was Christ's Ambassador of encouragement to every customer and employee in that store.

You can be like Johnny the Bagger to the people in your life. Your family. Your friends. Co-workers. Neighbors. Strangers you meet on the street. Every person you encounter needs your encouragement.

Encouragement is "in courage ment": helping another to take a hold of God's courage in the midst of a challenge or difficulty. We all deal with disappointments, stresses, or hurts everyday and so we need encouragement from one another. There are so many ways to give encouragement to others:

• Sharing a "good thought" or Bible verse that blesses others like Johnny the Bagger did
• Asking someone, "How are you?" and really listening with your heart
• Responding with patience and kindness when someone is mean to you
• Letting someone cut in front of you on the freeway
• Praying for someone even though they don't know it
• Inviting someone who is lonely to have a meal with you
• Volunteering to help clean up after an event
• Giving a generous tip to your waiter at the restaurant
• Offering specific words of appreciation when someone helps you - encourage the encourager!
• Simply offering a friendly smile to a stranger can do wonders

The "Little Way" of quietly serving others is Jesus' way to communicate God's love. We all can learn to live this way. If we just look to Jesus and rely on his love and his strength. There's no better way to live than to give ourselves away for Jesus' sake!

William Gaultiere, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the New Hope Crisis Counseling Center at the Crystal Cathedral and a Clinical Psychologist and Spiritual Director with ChristianSoulCare.com.  Kristi Gaultiere,  Psy.D is a Marriage and Family Therapist with ChristianSoulCare.com.  On their website you can sign up for a free, bi-monthly devotional e-mail.