Now beside me lives an elderly couple who for years had someone do there lawn. He would come by at least once a week and mow the lawn and weedeat around the shrubs and trees. Well about a year or so ago he was unable to do it, so my neighbor across the street had told this elderly couple that he would mow there lawn for them this year. However, this past winter he had passed away. Now I did not know if they had hired anyone to mow there lawn yet or not.
As Spring came I noticed that the grass was getting higher and higher and I assumed that since we were under lockdown it might be hard for them to find someone to mow there lawn. So as I started up my lawnmower I decided to just go ahead and mow there lawn for them. I figured that was something I could do that would help them out and would be a blessing in some way to them.
So off I went to mow the lawn and while I was working on their front lawn, they came out and asked me how much they owed me for the work that I was doing. I told her that it was free of charge, I just wanted to help them out and that it was no big deal. Yes while I hate mowing, mowing their lawn is not putting me out to much, besides sometimes being a blessing to others, does cost you something. So that really was my purpose, was to just bless them by doing something they needed, and doing it out of the goodness of my heart and out of service for God.
So each week I would go and mow their lawn and they were appreciated of it. Each week the wife would come out and say "I wish I could pay you" and I would tell here it is not necessary. Well one day she had made me and my family a loaf of cinnamon bread for us, it was absolutely great! Then a week or two later she came out and insisted to give me a 20 dollar bill. Each time I told her it was not necessary to do these things, because I just want to be a blessing to her. However I gladly accepted her offers. I am always reminded of what I was told my wife's grandfather, would say "If someone offers you something you take it, because you might be cheating them of a blessing"
However as I was mowing their lawn with the 20 dollars in my pocket and the thought of their desire to some how, some way pay me for the work I was doing. I started to think about God and Salvation.
I began to think about how God has blessed us time and time again. How God had sent his only begotten son to die in our place that we might be saved. I started to think about how good God is. I began to think about the many blessings in my 40 years hear on this earth. How God has blessed me with a wonderful family. How God had raised me up in a christian home, with parents who loved the Lord and knew the word of God. How God had placed godly people throughout my life who have helped me to be the man I am today. I thought about the two greatest churches God had given me the opportunity to call my home church, 7th Ave. Baptist Church, a church I grew up in, and Ashmore Baptist Church where I pastor now. I began to think about the many different men and women in my life who God had used in different times in my life to help me. As I began to recall all God's blessings toward me, my heart became filled. How great God has been to me and really to everyone if they will take the time to think about all the blessings of God.
The thing I realized is that a lot of those things I have been given, I never asked for. I never asked God to send me the parents I had. I never asked God to place the people in my life that he did. While I did ask for God to send me to a church he would want me to pastor, I did not ask specifically for Ashmore Baptist Church, and I had no choice in the matter of 7th Ave baptist church I was going there no matter what. Last but not least, before I was even born, before my father and mother were born, Jesus Christ died for me! I did not ask him to do that, but He did that so that I may be saved. He sacrificed His life that I maybe forgiven, before I was even born!
I think this maybe the reason why so much emphasis is placed in scripture about being doers of the word. Why we are told to serve others, to give generously, to be a blessing to others in what ever ways we can. Because by doing this we are reciprocating to others the blessings we have been given. This was the reason why I wanted to help my neighbors, not for aclame or some reward, but to simply be the hands and feet of Jesus. To be a blessing to them with no thought of a return.
However I had a 20 dollars bill in my pocket. I wanted to be a blessing to them with no desire for a reward but they insisted to pay me. At first I felt bad that they felt like they needed to do that. I thought maybe I was not being clear enough that this came at no cost. That this is really out of the goodness of my heart. As I turned around the tree, and as the grass clippings sputtered out of my riding lawn mower, I had an interesting epiphany.
I realized that some people pay to have there lawn mowed. They have a need and they seek someone to help them keep there lawn mowed and they pay them to do it. However with my next door neighbor, they gave me money, not to mow there lawn, but because I had mowed there lawn.
Now I know what your thinking, that is a very simple epiphany. The sun must have been really hot or I needed to take a break and get some rest. What can I say a simple mind has simple thoughts. However there is more to that thought than meets the eye.
You see there are some who see God's blessings on there life and seek to "pay" God for his service. They wish to somehow earn Gods grace and mercy. They desire to try to gain the blessings of God for there life by doing something to earn it. They may not do it with a 20 dollar bill necessarily, although some may try to do it by giving to a church or some charity. However they may do it by trying to do something good, to do some act of service or to live a life that they feel would be worthy of God's blessing. Furthermore there are people who try to earn salvation in the same way. They feel they must do something so they could deserve salvation.
The heart of all of this is pride. They can't allow God to simply bless them or save them. They feel they must have some control, some part in their blessings or salvation. Yet the bible is clear that it is not by works that you and I are saved, but rather grace that we are saved. Salvation is truly a gift of God, and not salvation only but every blessing in our lives are gifts of our Creator God. What could finite man give and Infinite God? What could you or I ever possess that God does not have. To think that your works, your gifts are so needed that it could some how "buy off" God to bless you or save you is both a audacious and ludicrous claim from a prideful mind.
However what my neighbor was doing was not trying to "pay me off" to do the lawn work. Rather that cinnamon bread, and that 20 dollar bill was a symbol of her appreciation for the work that I did. In much the same way, me mowing the lawn was a way to show my appreciation to God for all the blessings I had been given in my life.
It is this thought that I want to land on. In our life we need to recognize the blessings of God on our lives and they are many. Furthermore as we think about those various blessings from God, let us not seek to "pay God off" but rather let us seek to "Pay it forward". Let us serve one another, give generously, be the hands and feet of Jesus. Not to gain God's approval, or to acquire God's blessings, but rather to show our appreciation to God.
As I finish up the lawn and I drive my riding lawn mower into the garage. I am reminded of one other blessing, God had given me several years ago this lawn more by the grace of someone in our church. this blessing I was given, I am now able to bless my neighbors with now. That is the purpose of our blessings, we are blessed to bless others! I turn the key to the left and the engine shuts down. I turn off the lights in the garage and close the doors and wonder "What else can I do to show my appreciation to God today.
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