The Joy of Helping Others

What a great way to live our lives: always on the lookout for ways we can help, ways we can use what we've been through or learned to encourage others.

The Joy of Helping Others

This week's devotions are written by my friend, Becky Dean, our Missions Director at Great Hills Baptist Church.

- Pastor Danny

"The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve."

(Matthew 20:28)

In the back of most novels, after the story ends, you'll find a section called "Acknowledgements." This is where the author thanks everyone who helped with the book. Common people to mention are agents, editors, staff at the publisher, friends and family, and then any fellow writers who critiqued the story, offered feedback, provided expertise on an issue, or just offered encouragement. I always like reading those sections.

A speaker at a writing event a few years ago said he encourages writers to make it their goal to have their names in more acknowledgements than on book covers.

I had always vowed to help other writers as much as possible. Since I spent so many years writing and studying the publishing industry, it's no surprise that I learned a lot! I promised God that I wouldn't keep that knowledge and experience to myself. But the way that speaker phrased it really hit home.

Now, I have a shelf of my books, but I also have a shelf of books by author friends, and my name is in the acknowledgements of many of those. I love looking at that shelf knowing that I helped and was part of their journey.

Philippians is my favorite book in the Bible, and chapter 2, verses 3-4 says, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of the others."

Matthew 20:28 tells us that "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

What a great way to live our lives, following the example of Jesus: always on the lookout for ways we can help, ways we can use what we've been through or learned to encourage others; not seeking people who can help us or pursuing our own ambition only, but actively searching for others to support; and not doing this with the goal of human acknowledgement and being included in the back of a book, but doing it because God has been good to us and given us gifts, so we can't help but want to share those with others.

How many people would list you in the back of their life book as someone who helped them along the way? And how does God want to use you today to serve someone else?