I met an older gentleman in a hotel lobby while we waited for our families to arrive. We began typical small talk about where we were from and what we did for work. He had owned his own carpet cleaning business for 25 years and proceeded to tell me all the dirty little secrets of carpet cleaning! I forgot most of his cleaning tips, but I’ve always remembered his story about a former employee.

He recalled an angry phone call he received from one of his clients. She complained of how a dirty stain remained on her living room rug after the cleaners left. The business owner took his employee back to her home to inspect. When he saw the spot, he turned to his employee and asked, “What is that?” The employee casually shrugged and said, “A spot?” the owner said, “That is dirt. I see dirt and in order for you to work for me, you must see it as dirt too.”

The owner continued to lecture the dazed employee that in order for him to work for his business, he must engage in his mission which was to “remove dirt and make happy customers!” But, imagine if that employee would have had the same definition of dirt and the same response to it? He would probably have grown in the business and made the owner proud.

If we are to grow in our faith, we must engage in the business of God; do what He does.

We build our faith as we engage in the mission of Jesus. Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His Life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)

Our faith will not grow if we only serve ourselves.

If we only take in and never give out, we become like the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea runs along Israel and gets its water from the Jordan River. It is saltier than any ocean and its mineral accumulation is such that nothing can live in its waters. The reason for its lack of viability is that it has no outlet. It only gets water, but never gives it.

The same applies to us and our faith. If we only get and never give, we become toxic in our own way. Our faith becomes a dead weight rather than a life raft that carries us and others over rough waters. We must engage in the mission of Jesus.

His mission was to love big, serve humbly and give generously. What can you do today to engage in His mission?

Our faith grows when our selfish agenda shrinks. When we engage our hearts in what Christ’s heart was engaged with, we experience growth and satisfaction.

If you are dealing with disappointment or difficulty; if your faith has some gaps in it, then engage in Jesus mission with and for Him. Focusing on others will broaden your view of God’s grace and provisions while at the same time, reducing the size of your own problem.

So, today do 3 things: love someone in an obvious way, serve someone when they least expect it, and give of yourself.. .time, is often our most valuable gift we give.

Engage in the mission of Jesus.

I don’t know about you, but I am pumped up about engaging in the mission God has for me. What does God have for you to do? Tomorrow we focus on L = Listening to God’s Voice.

More tomorrow.

[fancy_box]I’d absolutely love to hear your thoughts or comments below.[/fancy_box]