lovesessence

to ...
An Act Of Kindness
A Heart To Serve

With a sincere heart to please God, the boy had to look at his own wants in this Light - would the acquiring of his "want" be at another's expense? What would someone else have to go without in order that he could have his first choice?

"Well, how much is just a plain bowl of ice cream?", he asked. The facts before him, and the Truth in his heart to help him make the right choice, he ordered, with thanksgiving, his plain bowl of ice. With no regrets the boy savored every bite, and when he had put the last spoonful into his mouth, there was a good feeling of satisfaction because he had put into practice
the gift of serving with kindness. For you see, the boy
did not have enough money to get the ice cream sundae and have enough left over to leave something for the one who had served him.

His reward for having done what was right, was as
good for his soul, as the ice cream had been
to his taste buds.

"Do nothing from selfishness...but with humility of mind, let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."
Philippians 2:1-5

As I thought about this story, true or not, the principle is obvious, and we would be negligent not to consider it.

"What can I do for you"..."I want this"..."How much does it cost"...Each of these statements represents something which must be incorporated into our life if we are to be blessed by and because of our good deeds. There is...

the desire to serve another;
the desire to recognize the best and go for it
the desire to always examine our choices
in light of what is right before God.

The Christian life is all about placing God's way before ours, no matter where we are or what we are doing. The Christian life requires that we constantly commit ourselves to the practicing of godly principles, even if it involves ordering a bowl of ice cream. It is the attitude of our heart that is demonstrated~an attitude which will reveal the purity of our love for Jesus Christ. No one may ever know as we come and go each day whether we have obeyed the laws of God or not, but we should, and it is for certain that the Spirit of God always knows when we have set Him before ourselves.   Because of His work within my heart, I always know when I have disobeyed and purposely denied Him His rightful place as Lord over everything I do and say.

If the acquiring of something requires that I compromise and ignore my obligation to place Jesus Christ as Lord over all the smallest details and moments in my life, then I need to reconsider the importance I have placed upon ME.    It takes a very honest and open state of mind
to make room for this consideration, because in so doing we may have to alter our plans and deny
ourselves.   The waitress in the restaurant would have never known that this young man was governed by a higher and purer law than his own. She probably would have never expected a tip from this young man, but he required it of himself because of his desire to please the Lord. "Oh you're making a big deal out of nothing". Well, I wonder if this is true in light of David's prayer, which seems to utter the desire of his heart ~ it is an all inclusive expression which refers to David's entire being?

"May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be aceptable to You, my Lord and my God."
Psalms 18:14

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The comments of personal application have been written out of the content of my heart, but this wonderful story of the boy and his ice cream came to me by way of email. Somewhere along its travel's through cyberspace, the author's name was not included. I am so sorry, because I would like to express my appreciation. So, "Thank you, whoever you are!"

and...

There is not an active link to delilah designs as her site is closed.

A young boy walked into a restaurant with an ice cream sundae on his mind. He could hardly wait!

Sitting down at the table by the window, so he could "people watch", he opened the menu and went straight for the desserts. His eyes were big as saucers when he caught sight of a sundae so beautifully illustrated with whipped cream piled on top. No need to look any further - that was exactly what he wanted!

"Well, young man, what can I do for you?", asked the waitress. "I want this sundae!", was his reply, as
he pointed to the picture on the menu. "By the way, how much does it cost?"

The reality of doing what was right over against the cost of indulging himself, became the decisive issue
between wanting, no matter what the cost, and settling, with a thankful heart, on what he could have without neglecting the need of another, and overlooking the godly quality of kindness and serving.

It is not the wanting or obtaining of the extra special "sundaes" in life which is wrong. The problem lies in the priority given to these desires.

Life is more than the abundance of things;
or of fame or glory; or indulging in the grand "sundaes" of life. All things are possible, but not all things are profitable; and sometimes it is just a matter of waiting until the time is right or more appropriate.

Paul poured his entire being into living the life that Christ had designed for him; and at the end of his days, he wrote,

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day." II Timothy 4:7

Faithfulness to Jesus Christ is life, and it brings a spiritual and eternal reward, along with personal satisfaction and joy which no "sundae" can afford.

"Lord, how may I serve you...what do you want...help us to willingly set ourselves aside to consider
how much it costs."