FBC Morning Light – May 27, 2022

Well, a good Friday morning to you. Here we are coming toward the end of the week already, looking forward to the Lord's Day. I hope you can join us on this coming Sunday morning for the adult Bible study at 9 .30 in the morning, and then the morning service at 10 .30.

Sunday night we're doing something a little different in our church. We're establishing what we're calling our deacon care groups, and the congregation is meeting in the homes or the places of the different deacons in the church.

So we're not having our regular six o 'clock service this Sunday. But nevertheless, I hope you can make it Sunday morning for that worship service. Well, today is May 27th, and 64 years ago on this day in Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago, or Oak Park, I guess it is, my mom brought me into this world, and so today is my birthday.

You say, well, why are you telling us that? Well, I'm not telling you that so that I get any birthday presents or birthday cards or phone calls or anything like that saying happy birthday. I'm mentioning that because it does tie in with our devotional in 2 Corinthians 12 here in just a moment.

But it's in contrast to a Facebook friend of mine who, months before his birthday, months before his birthday, he will put a post on Facebook that says, it's three months until my birthday. I want you to know, three months from today is my birthday.

And then a couple weeks later he'll say, it's ten weeks from today is my birthday, so don't forget this and be sure you get your gifts and all this kind of stuff. It's kind of like he counts down. It's next week, a week from today is my birthday, don't forget this, you know, this kind of thing.

He's making a big deal out of this, and even kind of saying things like, be sure to send your gifts and so on and so forth. I know he's doing it all tongue in cheek, if you will, but could you imagine if he was totally serious about this?

And isn't it true that most people, when it comes to birthdays, a lot of times people, especially kids, will just be thinking about what I'm going to get, what am I going to get for my birthday? The whole mindset is all about getting, getting for myself.

What does that have to do with 2 Corinthians chapter 12 in our Scripture reading today? It has to do with this. The Apostle Paul says in verse 14, he says, for the third time I'm ready to come to you, and I will not be burdensome to you, for I do not seek yours, but you.

For the children, I don't seek yours. That is, I don't seek your stuff. I'm not seeking anything from you. I don't want to get material stuff from you. I'm not seeking your stuff, but I'm seeking you.

He says, for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. And he says that because spiritually speaking, he was the instrument that God used to bring the Corinthian, many believers in the Church of Corinth, to faith in Christ.

They were, in a sense, his spiritual children. He says, the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. Then he says this, I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved.

Paul is expressing here the heart of a good pastor, one who, he's not in it for what he can get from the people. He doesn't mention that he's having a birthday so that he can get a bunch of gifts for his birthday or anything like that.

In fact, I don't ever say anything about my birthday. I don't care. Ask my wife. If you get a chance to see her or communicate with her, ask her, what does your husband say when you ask him what he wants for his birthday?

Because almost always I say, I don't know. I don't really think much about it. That is the heart of a good pastor, a godly pastor. He wants what's best for his people, and he doesn't sit around thinking, what can I get out of these people?

How can they feather my nest, if you will, and make life easier for me? That's such a critical spirit, a critical attitude to have. Isn't that quite contrary to what you see in a lot of the so-called ministries that show up on TV and so forth?

It's all about, send your donations, send your money, send this, send that. The guy who's making the appeals lives in a home that's palatial and drives fancy cars and maybe has planes that he flies around all over the world.

That is not the attitude that Paul has. He says, I'm not asking you to lay up for me. I'm giving out to you. I would much rather spend and be spent for your souls than to get anything from you. He goes on to say, I do that even though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved.

Honestly, that's a sad reality too many times in the work of the ministry, that God's servants will engage in serious labors of love, sacrificial labors of love, and pour their souls into people, their hearts, everything into people, only to have those people, some of those people, turn around and show hatred and animosity toward them.

It's a grievous thing. Nevertheless, that doesn't stop the true minister of the gospel from carrying out that ministry. He would still much rather spend and be spent than to take advantage of and be enriched by God's people to take from them.

I hope that helps us understand the heart of the ministry the way it ought to be. My prayer is that God in his grace would give me that heart, that I never get to the point in my life or in the work of the ministry when I start thinking about what can these people do to feather my nest.

No, not interested. Let's spend and be spent. It's not an attitude that should be limited to the pastors and to ministers. I trust that will be the attitude of God's people, all God's people, as they minister to one another, not doing so for what they can get out of it, but doing so as an expression of love that they can pour into someone else.

May that be our heart. Father, we pray today that you would give us this kind of a heart that is ready to be sacrificial and giving for the benefit and welfare of other people, regardless of anything that we might get out of it.

Help us to think like that. Help us to live like that. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. We'll have a good rest of your Friday. Hope you have a wonderful weekend. If you can make it to the Lord's house on Sunday, we'd love to see you.

Good day. God bless.