Have you ever had the misfortune of having a poor waiter/waitress/server? I mean the kind of person who makes you feel like you are interrupting their day by showing up for a relaxing sit-down meal with family or friends.
Poor service in this post has everything to do with the server not the kitchen staff. Calling it poor service might be generous because it would be easy to characterize it as no service. Your party is escorted to the table and the host/hostess hands you the menus to study. After deciding between what form of protein and carbs you are in the mood for, you begin to chat with your party to alleviate the silence so no one can hear your stomach trying to add to the conversation. Many times a raised hand or menu can summon someone with a restaurant badge or apron but other times you are sitting in what seems like a vortex of employees being repelled from where you sit. You may or may not even have your complimentary glass of water as you continue to wait, unfortunately forgetting the name of the dish that sounded delicious 15-20 minutes earlier.
Another example of this no service can take the form of not keeping the drinks full or not checking back to see how the server can enhance your dining experience. If you ever have had an unfortunate server experience, my suggestion is to wait until the final bill comes to settle up with a small or no tip. Please don’t try and make a pithy point or settle a score before the food comes out. The server is the last one to handle the plate with your food. Just use your imagination what could happen… most very very revolting.
There are of course a lot of other customer service areas that we encounter in our society such as haircuts, telephone customer service rep, and retail store clerks. The basic thing any customer wants or should demand is “reasonable service.” This by all accounts is a fair exchange.
Well in the book of Romans, Chapter 12, Verse 1 (KJV), Paul writes:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
Paul urges the believer to be different from the society around us. It is so easy to let your body (eyes, ears, mouth, and hands) participate in so many ungodly or worldly activities. This is a very natural response. But remember the Lord wants us to be “living sacrifices – holy and acceptable to Him. The message of the New Testament is to be more and more Christ-like and less and less like the world. Be His disciple and go and follow Him. Remember if Jesus is your living holy Lord, then strive to make choices that demonstrate your heart toward Him.
Now my final thought, which is one that I haven’t heard explored with this passage. Paul puts the crosshairs of the gospel message directly at the heart of every believer – “which is your reasonable service.”
The Lord Jesus did something so magnificently selfless for us – The God of all Creation and Heaven allowed Himself to be formed in flesh (accepting human limitations), then after He lived a perfect life, He redeemed us from our sin with His death, burial, and resurrection. He provided His Everlasting Word/The Bible, for our instruction as well as leaving the Holy Spirit for our counsel. With this wonderful plan that a holy God poured out, there are still people time and time again who deny Him and please themselves.
I’m guilty – It’s a fight…
Let’s stop. Be still. Remember God’s mercies – and do things that please Him. Be Christ-like!
Why?
We should all expect reasonable service.
Question: Do you think you can go to church or a Bible study once a week? Do you think you can check on an elderly neighbor regularly? Do you think…?
Do you think those and other things are REASONABLE?
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