27 May Picking Up Trash
Romans 12:16b – Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.
I had a friend who pastored a church in a very affluent part of America with a beautiful, paid-for campus, celebrities, and lots of dollars. And he needed to hire a new executive pastor to manage the staff, facilities, and money.
So, he told me an interesting story about how he would do interviews. He would go pick up the candidates at the airport, which of course they weren’t expecting, that the senior pastor would go pick them up. He would then have someone leave a bag of McDonald’s garbage on the passenger side of his parking spot – half-eaten cheeseburger, whatever the milkshake is made of (which isn’t even on the periodic chart by the way), and fries – so that when the candidate would open the door, there was the bag of garbage.
He was waiting to see if they would pick up the bag or step over it. It was a test. Most of the candidates stepped over it. He asked one of the candidates who stepped over it “Aren’t you going to pick that up?” and the guy said “No, that’s for the janitorial staff.” The senior pastor literally told him to get back in the car and took him right back to the airport.
The candidate said, “I thought I was going to interview?” and he said, “You just did, and you failed the interview.” Leadership in the Kingdom of God is about serving. Even Jesus said, “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve…” (Matt. 20:28). If Jesus is willing to do some lowly tasks, we should be too.
If you see the character of Christ in someone, spend time with those kinds of people. Don’t think anyone is below or beneath you.
Let’s follow the example of Jesus who, days before He would be betrayed by Judas, washed the very feet of His betrayer, knowing exactly what Judas was about to do. If Jesus wasn’t too good to do this, neither are we.
Is there anyone in your life you’ve overlooked that you should help or pursue friendship with or any tasks you should do that you previously thought you were too good for?
To find the free Romans 12-16 digital study guide for individuals and small groups, hear Pastor Mark’s entire sermon series on Romans, or find a free mountain of Bible teaching visit legacy.realfaith.com or download the Real Faith app.
