Please read Philippians
2:19-30
In the
19th century, Italy had a great military General named Giuseppe
Garibaldi. He is famous for many contributions – the
Unification of Italian states; the creation of Kingdom of Italy; guerilla
warfare; military operations in South America etc. Garibaldi is also famous for gathering
and leading armies of volunteers. It is said he would approach recruits to the
army with the following straight forward pitch, “I offer neither pay, nor quarters, nor food; I offer only hunger,
thirst, forced marches, battles, and death. Let him who loves his country with
his heart, and not merely with his lips, follow me.” And many followed him in battles home and abroad and
remained loyal to Garibaldi even after they left the military.
Coming to
the text for today, Paul talks about Timothy and Epaphroditus,
fellow workers who are focused on the interests of Jesus and His sheep. Both
are servants and ministers. They are single-minded and have a mind like Christ (Philippians
2:5, 1 Corinthians 11:1) and teach and work for Jesus (Colossians 3:17,
23). They are just motivated by Paul (in truth God the Holy Spirit), they do
not have grand titles or salaries, but they are truly concerned for the people
they serve.
Dear
brothers and sisters in Christ, it is rare to meet leaders such as Garibaldi or
Paul who motivate people to serve a cause joyfully. But you and I have Jesus
who came to earth, brought us salvation and servant discipleship to motivate us
to teach and minister those He places in our lives. It is not going to be easy
– people will not understand us and our intentions and joy in serving - but Jesus
will love/lead us to follow Him and motivate us to serve with our hearts
and not merely with our lips.
Dear Jesus, please never let me never forget that I don’t need any
motivating speech or riches, for you are my Lord and the source of all my
riches. Amen.
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