“As the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men” (Ephesians 6:6–7).
Kara walked quickly down the church hallway. She was late for orchestra practice. When she reached the auditorium, she searched the chairs for her usual empty spot. To her surprise, it was filled by her friend Melanie. Kara stalked up the stairs and stood in front of her chair. Melanie stopped practicing and looked up.
“Oh hi, Kara. Pastor Fox just moved me up here this morning,” she explained.
“Okay. Did he say why? This has always been my spot.”
“Not really, but it’s not a big deal. I mean, if you need to sit here, I can just move back,” Melanie offered.
Kara gave a plastic smile. “It’s fine. I’ll just move somewhere else.” She found an empty stand at the back of the first violins and flopped down.
After a couple of minutes, Pastor Fox came in. As he passed Kara’s chair, he stopped and said, “By the way, Kara, I moved you because I thought it’d be nice to give Melanie a chance to sit in the front. You don’t mind, do you?”
“No—it’s fine,” she said sourly. They began practicing the Sunday offertory, but Kara’s heart wasn’t in the music. All she could think about was the injustice of her new seat. It’s not fair. I’m so much better than Melanie, she thought.
After practice, she made a beeline for the door but was stopped by Pastor Fox. “Kara, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Uh, sure,” she swallowed.
“I noticed you didn’t seem very happy about your new seat. Maybe Melanie isn’t as good a musician as you, but this is a leadership opportunity for her. I want you to really think about why you play in the orchestra. Are you doing it for God, or for yourself?”
Kara thought a minute, then said, “I guess, myself.”
God wants us to serve Him because we love Him. When we do something to be recognized by other people or to make ourselves feel good, we are being selfish in our ministry.
We glorify God when our motivation is to honor Him.
My response:
» What is my attitude when others get attention that I don’t get? What does this show about me?
» What’s my reason for ministry—do I do it for God or for myself?