What I Learned In Church… February 5, 2012

 Before we begin:

Announcements– I know what you need. I'm not what you need but I can show you where to find it!
(Just something that was on my mind...)

The readings for today are Job 7:1-7, 1 Corinthians 9:16-23, and Mark 1:29-39.

So we started with Job suffering for the sake of God. He had no idea he was working towards the glory of God. He won by enduring his trials but he had no idea it was just a bet. He wasn’t happy about it at all but he won because he was always faithful. It's depressing when you don't know it's for God.

            When you know it's for God you have a choice. You can chase the reward or serve out of duty. Paul did both. He chose duty so he could give up his ego. He refrained from the reward and focused on the work. Service! That’s the word people like Tony Robbins use. It’s a word of abundance.  The law of abundance means we serve and are given more opportunities to serve. We want the blessings so we can serve our families. But we get caught up in the blessings only and the blessings turn into just stuff. That's when our ego has run all the way out of control.

In the words of Father ‘Lotto’ (He’s been quoted as wanting to hit the lotto so he can get his freak on.) "Share the wealth Don't share your opinions"

Serve for the Love. Love has no expectation of reward. Jesus had a duty. He carried on without waiting on reward. As soon as people started jocking him, he left town. That’s egoless.  Who do we know that avoids adulation?

Disagreements are opportunities to serve. Give Love not your opinion. Trying to win an argument is not fulfilling. Fulfillment comes from giving Love without expectation of reward. That's serving. Only expect more work and be grateful for the opportunity.

To be specific, let’s focus on differences of opinion.  Some call them disagreements. Others call them arguments. In our daily lives, we get ourselves into these things often. The question is What Would Jesus Do?

Not argue! Not fight so hard to be right. No care so much about being ‘felt’. You feel me? What Jesus would do is serve no matter how hard it hurts. Serving in this instance means putting aside your ego and how you feel about the matter. How you feel about the matter is unimportant. Humble yourself like you’ve lost everything you own and all you have to give is Love. Give it all away because it’s the only thing you will never run out of. Let God take care of the rest.

I am working on killing my ego. That means losing on purpose when I find myself getting into petty arguments.  I let God handle me. I serve the needs of whoever I’m communicating with. God takes care of my true needs and my ego is never one of my needs anyway. Sound to deep for you?

Here’s the simple key to arguments. Practice (That means you won’t be able to perfect this tomorrow but one day) losing arguments. Focus on what the other person is trying to do. If they are purely serving their own ego, abandon the argument entirely. Look deep though! Look beyond ego if possible and serve the deeper. Find a way to Love the person that is fulfilling for the person. That is seeking God in all situations.

Believe me, I love nothing more than a verbal gut punch and dragging people through the mud, but, I Love God more. Now is the time to serve. Give Love. Give Love. Give Love. As He first Loved you. Walk by faith. Try it. Not by sight. Close your eyes literally so you can see the truth of a situation.

In Jesus’ mighty name we pray…

PS-St. Agathas rocks the House!!!