Embracing the Easy Yoke Through Service and Humility

this very day you can be at home in The Fellowship of your heavenly father as you learn the secret of the easy yoke how to effortlessly do what it is that Jesus would do if he were in your place or my place and we're learning this together as we do one thing and that is to try to arrange our lives around those practices and rhythms that Jesus himself engaged in so that he could be from one moment to the next whatever was going on externally at home deeply in his mind and soul in the presence of the father who loved him [00:19:41]

well this brings us to a central Dynamic a foundational truth that we're experiencing all through this journey together and that is the principle of indirection that generally the easy yoke involves not trying really really hard to be more joyful or be more patient or be more humble to arrange our lives around those activities through which we receive the power to be changed to be different and the primary practice that helps people grow in equality like humility is what we're going to look at today and it is the practice of service [00:89:24]

in service Dallas Willard writes we engage our goods and strength in the active promotion of the good of others and the causes of God in our world now this brings up an important distinction that Dallas mentions in this particular case not every act that may be done as a discipline needs to be done as a discipline in other words if I'm doing something as a discipline I'm doing as a means to an end so that through it I can receive the power to become a different kind of person [00:129:18]

however often I'll be able to serve somebody simply as an act of love and righteousness without regard to I want to be doing this so that it changes me I'm simply doing it to help them there's nothing wrong with that obviously and it may incidentally strengthen me spiritually as well so there are practices like serving that we do not just because they function as a spiritual discipline but what we're talking about today in particular is I may well want to engage in the practice of serving because I need training away from arrogance and pride and self-preoccupation [00:165:52]

service is done as a discipline for the spiritual life and character change such discipline is very necessary for Christians who find themselves as most of us by necessary musk in the lower positions in society at work and the church it alone can train Us in habits of loving service to others and free us from resentment enabling Us in faith to enjoy our position a little bit paradoxically actually if I'm in a lower position than to engage in the practice of service and remember as Paul said I'm doing this because ultimately the one that I'm serving is Jesus and to do it with a whole heart [00:207:95]

Dallas goes on to say he thinks that the discipline of service is even more needed to people who find themselves in positions of power and can get used to being served and we remember how Central service was to the person of Jesus who said that he being the Son of God having all power came not to be served that's what we think power is about but to serve and to offer his life a sacrifice for many so service is in many many ways the golden key the golden ticket of the Kingdom [00:312:43]

well a very simple way from one moment to the next is look around you at what needs to be done that nobody else is doing and doing it when our kids were quite small and I knew how much work I needed in this area I would try to take one day a week usually it was the day that I wasn't going into work and make it a day of serving and just try to say I will have no agenda today I want to be available to do the dishes or give a bath or run an errand or whatever it is that needs to be done [00:351:39]

and So eventually what happens to him is he realizes the only real way to life is to serve others and we see this one day when he brings coffee and danish to the his co-workers and they Delight in that and there's a kind of satisfaction that grows in him and then if you ever watch this movie this is what happens this is his salvation this is his character transformation there's an old man who's begging on the street and he helps that old man and there's some old ladies driving a car and he ends up changing their Tire every day there's a guy choking to death in a restaurant he does the Heimlich for him [00:476:52]

so this is how we practice the gift of servanthood look around what needs to be done today you can do this in small ways for example set an intention just for today the next time you get interrupted don't resent it don't sigh don't communicate with your body language I don't have time for this actually embrace that you know a good deal of Jesus's Ministries was just interruptions from the blind or the leper or the tax collector or The Prostitute that intercepted his path today be open to that interruption and ask how can I help [00:524:70]

and it may be that you know of a young mom or an elderly person or a lonely person for whom life is hard and you could come and hold their word world for a while as Jesus does with us the magic of life the Deep glue that holds relationships together the foundation of all Community is just serving it's just service and if that's not your deal got another one tomorrow welcome home [00:702:21]

and if you ever watch this movie this is what happens this is his salvation this is his character transformation there's an old man who's begging on the street and he helps that old man and there's some old ladies driving a car and he ends up changing their Tire every day there's a guy choking to death in a restaurant he does the Heimlich for him there's a couple where the wife is getting cold feed and he gives them wise counsel he pours out his life in service Bill Murray for crying out loud and Groundhog's Day and there is salvation and there is joy [00:498:35]

notice somebody this is what happened in Groundhog's Day what they like what they want what they need a comment that you can make cup of coffee that you can bring to them how can I make their life a little different look for a person whose life is particularly different and ask how can you ease it Nancy read this poem for me last week and it was so deeply moving it's called wife takes a vacation and it made her think about those years when our kids were really small and it might be embarrassing for her to ask for somebody else to serve her because the message that our world often gives to a young mom is you're just supposed to do that all the time and not think about yourself [00:610:20]