The User …

The white goatee on the man’s chin had about as much white hair as there is thinly stretched atop his head. Decked out in a flannel shirt and casual pants, he silently slinks through the entry and crowds his way onto a seat by an electrical outlet.

He comes to the same Starbucks every day, carrying his laptop in a trendy bag slung over his shoulder, and sets up shop for a couple of hours.

But he never buys a cup of coffee.

He never buys a cup of tea.

He never buys any kind of beverage or food item.

He only comes to use the free wifi provided for paying customers. Except he doesn’t pay anything, he just uses, and then leaves.

Doesn’t this sound eerily similar to the church?

Many slip quietly through the doors and into a pew or cushioned seat. They never make a buy-in, they just come to get their blessing and then leave. Knowing our penchant for such selfishness, Jesus gave us a profound example for how we should do more than take:

“After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, ‘Do you understand what I was doing? You call me “Teacher” and “Lord,” and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them,” John 13:12-17.

Like the disciples with Jesus, we’re inclined to just walk in, sit down at the table, and feast to our individual desires. But Jesus got down on His knees and first washed the feet of His disciples so they could properly come to the table. The Creator of these men served them. Then He stated we should follow His example of humbly serving one another instead of taking what we want and then leaving.

When you gather with God’s family, are you humbling yourself to give and serve? Or do you come to collect a blessing and then leave? When it comes to you and the church, what makes you more than a user?

Scotty