M300 Ministries - Home of the Mighty Warriors

Living a life of service...What does it mean?

   I just wanted to knock on this door a bit to share with you that a life of service is what God ask of each of us regardless of our particular calling. For me it means missions and ministry. For others it may mean something different. When God calls you He equips you so that you are equipped for a life of service to both Him and your neighbor.
   The young ladies in the picture above were part of a group of North Americans (Gringos..haha) who participated in Christmas Mission Adventure Camp Mexico. What makes them special is that they heard God's call, put on their boots and headed down to the "bad lands of Mexico". They just spent a week along with myself (Wayne Gaines) and veteran missionaries Randy and Donna Denton. We shared over 15,000 toys with the poorest kids of the Rio Bravo and Reynosa area of Mexico. It was just a drop in the bucket compared to the vast sea of need that exist there. We shared special gifts with kids who participated in fellowships, Sunday School and church life and then shared wonderful gifts with the masses of kids by mass distribution at local churches and also in door to door distribution in neighborhoods.
   Randy and Donna Denton have been veteran missionaries to Mexico for over 20 years. Long ago they received the call while living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In fact Randy worked for the La. Public Broadcasting Service and after he received God's calling he and Donna put their boots on and headed for Mexico. So...what does a life of service look like? What does a life of service to God and fellow man look like? After 20 years they still weep at the mighty hand of God when they see what He does and how he loves the poor and the down trodden. A life of service in missions and a life of service to God looks like Spirit and Truth. When they speak of their work in Mexico and their dreams for God's people there it is then that they are prone to weep.

   On a practical level when we learn to discern the voice of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit it is then that we can bless others in wonderful ways by sharing God's love and provision. A few quick examples of what the Lord said in Mexico.

I asked a hotel worker where I could wash off my mud caked boots and he showed me a place in a back room and gave me a broom. While I was trying to wash my boots with the broom and water another man came along and stopped and in Spanish said, "Sir please allow me to wash your boots for you" So I agreed and he got a rag and some soap and a brush and began to wash my boots. The boots were caked in mud from several days of walking around Rio Bravo, Mexico. (Maybe they should have called it Lodo Bravo or Mean Mud City. The stuff is solid but has alot of clay and sticks like cement. Anyway when the man finished washing the boots that were still on my feet he took a towel and dried them and said, "Go in peace, God bless you" Ok did you catch that? He told me "Go in peace, God bless you" No way that fellow is going to walk away without a blessing. He was sincere and honest just serving me as a vistor to his country and his city. I felt a desire well up within me to bless this man so I offered this Mexican janitor a cash sum as a Christmas blessing for him. He refused it saying that he did not do it for money. I asked if he had kids and a wife and he said yes. My next words were, "The Lord wants to bless you this Christmas along with your kids and your wife". He smiled then from ear to ear and humbly accepted the gift.

The cleaning lady who cleaned my room was to be found arriving early each morning so that she could stand in the hallway and pray for visitors and study her Bible. She did this nearly everyday. She was an older Mexican lady and she did a fabulous job. I spoke with her and she was a Christian. Today on our last day i had intended to be a blessing to her by telling her what a great job she had done. As I was in a hurry to leave the hotel to head for the border I passed her up in the hallway and I told her what a great job she had done but my hands were full with a backpack, two bags, a jacket and a cowboy hat. As I went by the Lord pricked my heart a bit but I reasoned the I was short on time and did not have a spare hand to get to my wallet. As we spoke in passing I felt the Lord saying, "Bless this one" but I walked by with a thousand excuses and time quickly passing to get to the U.S. Mexican border and on to the airport for my flight. When I got to the hotel counter I turned in my key and then Randy Denton asked me if I had turned in the remote control for the tv. Of course I had not...I had not even thought about it. So I ran back upstairs thinking great I will catch the cleaning lady and bless her but she was gone. I felt badly but went to the room to get the remote control and she was there cleaning. I asked about her family and her kids and about plans for Christmas. In poverty commercialized Christmas does not come easily. She had a sad face on the subject of Christmas. I quickly said, "The Lord wants to bless your faithfulness for Christmas" and I was able to bring a blessing into her life.

So it is that this happened on numerous occasions. The key is willingness to come to God with your heart and your fist opened. The willingness to love people and meet them in their most profound needs knowing that you cannot out give God. She smiled and said these parting words to me, "I am glad that you came and ministered to my country. I am glad that you are serving the Lord. There is nothing better than to walk in service to Him every single day. God bless you for giving to an old lady with needs" This was all in Spanish and in private so the Lord was honored.

You ask...why would I share these things with you? The truth is that you need to know them because you need to do them. You need to be walking in the Lord and his Spirit and His strength not in your own strength. You can win your spiritual struggles by His Spirit and not by your might. With this be ye not only hearer's of the Word but doer's also living out a live of service to the Lord, to His people, to the needy and the oppressed and the Lord your God will be glorified.