Luke 17:8
- "But will he not rather say to him, 'prepare something for my supper and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and aftwerward you will eat and drink'?"
Jesus, others, then you. I feel like thats the only thing I need to write on this verse. The fact that it's the way of man to put themselves over others is one of the greatest issues we face. We find it so easy to put Jesus first, honestly I think thats just because He's not physically present. However, even in putting Him first, we don't completely understand that we can't simply love Him and not love everyone else as well. We are to place Jesus before anything or anyone else so that we can truely love other people. His love is the standard that we need to be using in the way that we treat eachother. In todays day and age, we don't really have masters and servants, but as a Christian I am to assume the role of a servant just as Christ did. When you think about it, for the Christian, there should be a never ending cyle of servants because everyone should be serving each other in some way. While I know it was just for a team building exercise, I thought it was really cool recieving our food at dinner but then waited for everyone to be seated before we began eating. It was nice because I know that everytime we eat, the same couple of people will help distribute the food and because of that they are like the last people to eat and they end up eating by themselves. When we waited for everyone to get a plate and sit down, we were able to fellowship with those who usually eat after us or who finish before we make it through the line.
This week I will help serve meals.
About Me
- LifeOfJay
- Hi, my name's Jonathan. I am serving Christ in Antigua, Guatemala in the Potter's Field Ignite program. I'm just someone trying my best to grow closer to Christ.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Monday, March 3, 2014
Michael (Pato) Ronaldo
My first couple of Potter's Field Kids Clubs were some of the most fun times of my life. Getting to hang out with and grow closer to the kids of Antigua, Guatemala and being able to show Christ's love through kids songs and relay races was such a blast. Much like programs like this in the States, I noticed quickly that the older kids wouldn't participate as much as the younger kids were in the games or in the songs. This is what I would have done when I was the older of the kids group, so I made it my goal to reach out to those kids. One of the funniest things about these guys is that they have made nicknames for eachother. Most of which are named after different animals.
One of the first kids that I met was nicknamed Pato, which in spanish translates to "duck". I'm kind of ashamed to admit this but I didn't even know Pato's real name until I decided to write this story on him. Michael Ronaldo is his name, he is 12 years, old, in sixth grade, has two brothers and one sister, who also attend Kids Club. He loves fried chicken and you can always pick him out of the crowd because he always wears his white/red shorts with his soccer cleats. That being said, he loves soccer! While he doesn't play on a team at school, he loves to play anytime he gets the chance to. Not only does he attend Potter's Fields Kids Club program, he also attends the Tutoring that is offered from the Ignite students at the Center. Due to the tutoring, his academics have acceled noticably, and he has continued to learn more and more about God. His favorite Bible story is that of Jacob and Essau because it gives us a great illustration of what we should do to be good. Michael has been attending the Potter's Field Kids Club program since it had started. He heard about the program through hids friends from school, and says that he loves to come for pretty much everything that we do here but especially that he can come here and learn more about God. Not only did he hear about this program through his friends, but he also has made a ton of new friends through this program.
Michael is a leader. He is a child who has passion for things special to him, and who cares for those around him. When I see the way he interacts with the other kids, I can tell he doesnt know how much they look up to him. I continue to pray that Michael will see whats worth living for through this program, and that he will follow Christ and lead those who look up to him to Christ as well. Please keep Michael in your prayers, Thank you!
One of the first kids that I met was nicknamed Pato, which in spanish translates to "duck". I'm kind of ashamed to admit this but I didn't even know Pato's real name until I decided to write this story on him. Michael Ronaldo is his name, he is 12 years, old, in sixth grade, has two brothers and one sister, who also attend Kids Club. He loves fried chicken and you can always pick him out of the crowd because he always wears his white/red shorts with his soccer cleats. That being said, he loves soccer! While he doesn't play on a team at school, he loves to play anytime he gets the chance to. Not only does he attend Potter's Fields Kids Club program, he also attends the Tutoring that is offered from the Ignite students at the Center. Due to the tutoring, his academics have acceled noticably, and he has continued to learn more and more about God. His favorite Bible story is that of Jacob and Essau because it gives us a great illustration of what we should do to be good. Michael has been attending the Potter's Field Kids Club program since it had started. He heard about the program through hids friends from school, and says that he loves to come for pretty much everything that we do here but especially that he can come here and learn more about God. Not only did he hear about this program through his friends, but he also has made a ton of new friends through this program.
Michael is a leader. He is a child who has passion for things special to him, and who cares for those around him. When I see the way he interacts with the other kids, I can tell he doesnt know how much they look up to him. I continue to pray that Michael will see whats worth living for through this program, and that he will follow Christ and lead those who look up to him to Christ as well. Please keep Michael in your prayers, Thank you!
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| Michael's ready to play some Kickball! |
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| Alexis and Michael |
28th I.B.S.
Luke 17:7
- "And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'come at once and sit down to eat' ?"
Christ gave His followers a couple of rules. some of which are that Christians are to be servants to everyone, Christian and non-christian just as Christ was. Also that we are to do unto others as they would have us do unto them. This verse reminded me of our hours here during servant time. Not that we were plowing or tending sheep, but that while we were out working, whether it be raking or pulling weeds or painting the walls or whatever, the RAs would come to us and ask if there was anything they could get for us while we do so. While pretty much everytime they asked us if we were fine I said yes, it was still nice to know that they seemed to care about us while we were serving. I have been to a friends house where, if they had someone doing yard work for them at night, they would pay them and then have them stay for dinner. Honestly, in doing so, you open another door to build a relationship with that person and also to tell them about Christ while showing an example of His love.
I need to pray daily that I would keep my eyes open for those opprotunites.
- "And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'come at once and sit down to eat' ?"
Christ gave His followers a couple of rules. some of which are that Christians are to be servants to everyone, Christian and non-christian just as Christ was. Also that we are to do unto others as they would have us do unto them. This verse reminded me of our hours here during servant time. Not that we were plowing or tending sheep, but that while we were out working, whether it be raking or pulling weeds or painting the walls or whatever, the RAs would come to us and ask if there was anything they could get for us while we do so. While pretty much everytime they asked us if we were fine I said yes, it was still nice to know that they seemed to care about us while we were serving. I have been to a friends house where, if they had someone doing yard work for them at night, they would pay them and then have them stay for dinner. Honestly, in doing so, you open another door to build a relationship with that person and also to tell them about Christ while showing an example of His love.
I need to pray daily that I would keep my eyes open for those opprotunites.
27th I.B.S.
Philippians 2:7
- "But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man."
This is probably one of the greatest things that I love about Christ, and it continues to show how much of a servant He truely was. The greatest and most powerful king, the ruler of all, would step down from His throne just to show how much He loves the world. It's one thing to serve in your home, it's one thing to serve at your own church, it's one thing to serve in your own comunity and state, but to leave the comforts of your own lifestyle and serve the people who don't even have enough money to buy clothes, or even shower is different. We humans will do that and then when we get to the location, complain about the weather or the food or the smells or the people. Can you imagine what Christ felt like? We left the United States, He left Heaven, He left perfection came down to this human run world and helped the lame, the poor, the blind, the sick, the lepers. He never complained about anything, can you imagine how good the food in Heaven was? And He's down here eating bread and wine. The only reason why He would do all this is for love, because He loved us so much, He would walk on this messed up earth just to die for us. Because He loved the Father and obeyed Him and because He loved us.
I need to be more sensitive to the Spirit so I will write LISTEN on my arm.
- "But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man."
This is probably one of the greatest things that I love about Christ, and it continues to show how much of a servant He truely was. The greatest and most powerful king, the ruler of all, would step down from His throne just to show how much He loves the world. It's one thing to serve in your home, it's one thing to serve at your own church, it's one thing to serve in your own comunity and state, but to leave the comforts of your own lifestyle and serve the people who don't even have enough money to buy clothes, or even shower is different. We humans will do that and then when we get to the location, complain about the weather or the food or the smells or the people. Can you imagine what Christ felt like? We left the United States, He left Heaven, He left perfection came down to this human run world and helped the lame, the poor, the blind, the sick, the lepers. He never complained about anything, can you imagine how good the food in Heaven was? And He's down here eating bread and wine. The only reason why He would do all this is for love, because He loved us so much, He would walk on this messed up earth just to die for us. Because He loved the Father and obeyed Him and because He loved us.
I need to be more sensitive to the Spirit so I will write LISTEN on my arm.
26th I.B.S.
Philippians 2:5-6
- "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God."
Growing up in the home that I was raised in, I never thought that I can be like God. That just sounds weird to me. I did know that we are to strive to be like Jesus. In my mind I've always viewed Jesus as the perfect example of what a Christian should be. I always knew that God and Jesus were the same person, but never would I have thought to say, that we need to be like God. As we see in His word, God sends His Son to earth to save us all and to serve us all (John 3:16-17). So it would seem to me like what are to do based off this verse, is to have the mind of Jesus Christ and to spread the word of Gods salvation as Jesus did on earth, and serve all of those around us. One thing that I have realized while being in Gautemala, as it is a third world country, is that there is a noticable amount of poverty found here than back in Florida. It makes me think of how some people may think that they don't want to leave the comforts of their home to be a missionary in a third world country but when you think about it, Jesus left heaven to come here on earth. I am completely sure that the most beautiful place on earth can't even compare to the worst thing in heaven. For Him to leave His home, perfection, and to come to earth, imperfection, was the greatest act of being a servant for the Father. I need a mindset to understand that no matter what I see or do here, there is nothing that Christ hasn't done. He came to this earth and healed the sick, no matter how bad the situation was.
I need to look at everyone on this street as a beautiful child of God. I will write "we are all sheep" on my arm
- "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God."
Growing up in the home that I was raised in, I never thought that I can be like God. That just sounds weird to me. I did know that we are to strive to be like Jesus. In my mind I've always viewed Jesus as the perfect example of what a Christian should be. I always knew that God and Jesus were the same person, but never would I have thought to say, that we need to be like God. As we see in His word, God sends His Son to earth to save us all and to serve us all (John 3:16-17). So it would seem to me like what are to do based off this verse, is to have the mind of Jesus Christ and to spread the word of Gods salvation as Jesus did on earth, and serve all of those around us. One thing that I have realized while being in Gautemala, as it is a third world country, is that there is a noticable amount of poverty found here than back in Florida. It makes me think of how some people may think that they don't want to leave the comforts of their home to be a missionary in a third world country but when you think about it, Jesus left heaven to come here on earth. I am completely sure that the most beautiful place on earth can't even compare to the worst thing in heaven. For Him to leave His home, perfection, and to come to earth, imperfection, was the greatest act of being a servant for the Father. I need a mindset to understand that no matter what I see or do here, there is nothing that Christ hasn't done. He came to this earth and healed the sick, no matter how bad the situation was.
I need to look at everyone on this street as a beautiful child of God. I will write "we are all sheep" on my arm
25th I.B.S.
Philippians 2:4
- "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others"
I would categorize this verse as another die to self verse. While we would usually be concered about ourselves and our own well being, we are not to be doing so. We need to care about our own interests but not in the sense of physical wants or needs. When we look at our own intrests, we should ask ourselves, "Am I pleasing God in what I am doing?" If this is true then we should already be focused on the intrests of others. I love that everything God tells us to do comes naturally if we are living with Christ in us, and allowing the Holy Spirit to move through us. If we are seeking to be like Christ and if we are continually yeilding to what He hs for our lives, all these things will come naturally to us. The people who I know in my life who care way more about others interests over their own are people who we continually see Christ in. They are the ones who have made the decision to die to self and to allow the Spirit to move in a way that is unstoppable for the Evil One to creep in and shut them down.
I need to make sure I'm not allowing the devil to get the slightest hold on me.
- "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others"
I would categorize this verse as another die to self verse. While we would usually be concered about ourselves and our own well being, we are not to be doing so. We need to care about our own interests but not in the sense of physical wants or needs. When we look at our own intrests, we should ask ourselves, "Am I pleasing God in what I am doing?" If this is true then we should already be focused on the intrests of others. I love that everything God tells us to do comes naturally if we are living with Christ in us, and allowing the Holy Spirit to move through us. If we are seeking to be like Christ and if we are continually yeilding to what He hs for our lives, all these things will come naturally to us. The people who I know in my life who care way more about others interests over their own are people who we continually see Christ in. They are the ones who have made the decision to die to self and to allow the Spirit to move in a way that is unstoppable for the Evil One to creep in and shut them down.
I need to make sure I'm not allowing the devil to get the slightest hold on me.
24th I.B.S.
Phillipians 2:3-
"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves."
We are to be filled with joy through everything that we do. If we do everything with the mindset of j.o.y., then we are doing it right. We should be having a bad attitude about it because we are tired, or because we dont like what it is we're doing, or because of the team we are doing it with because the first letter here is "J" which we all know stands for Jesus. If we are doing everything with the first priority that says, "okay, this is for Jesus." I think I would put alot more effort into it than I normally would. Now lets say your stuck on a what you consider a junky KP team. And you say, "Well I love Jesus and I want to do my best for Jesus but this sorry bunch of losers on the other hand..." that doesnt make sense because Jesus said that we cannot love Him but not our brothers and sisters. So when we say Jesus, then "O" for others we should be serving those who are serving with us. So when we're on KP, and we see that someones not having a good day, and their work is showing that, talk to them, help them out, our teams aren't going to grow stronger if we just sit there and complain, "Oh there goes Ben, doing backflips when he's supposed be doing dishes." Then there's the "Y" for Yourself. honestly while writing this I want to finish with just saying that there shouldnt be a "Y" because your supposed to be dead to yourself while serving others.
When doing anything, I need to work on physically expressing joy during work, so I will try my best to always smile during those times.
"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves."
We are to be filled with joy through everything that we do. If we do everything with the mindset of j.o.y., then we are doing it right. We should be having a bad attitude about it because we are tired, or because we dont like what it is we're doing, or because of the team we are doing it with because the first letter here is "J" which we all know stands for Jesus. If we are doing everything with the first priority that says, "okay, this is for Jesus." I think I would put alot more effort into it than I normally would. Now lets say your stuck on a what you consider a junky KP team. And you say, "Well I love Jesus and I want to do my best for Jesus but this sorry bunch of losers on the other hand..." that doesnt make sense because Jesus said that we cannot love Him but not our brothers and sisters. So when we say Jesus, then "O" for others we should be serving those who are serving with us. So when we're on KP, and we see that someones not having a good day, and their work is showing that, talk to them, help them out, our teams aren't going to grow stronger if we just sit there and complain, "Oh there goes Ben, doing backflips when he's supposed be doing dishes." Then there's the "Y" for Yourself. honestly while writing this I want to finish with just saying that there shouldnt be a "Y" because your supposed to be dead to yourself while serving others.
When doing anything, I need to work on physically expressing joy during work, so I will try my best to always smile during those times.
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