Seeing Ourselves as Contributors

In my two previous talks I have shared on the importance of seeing ourselves as part of a whole, and the need to be “relatable.” That is a word that I coined for these talks: relatable, the kind of person to whom other people can relate with confidence, being trustworthy, being a man of your word, keeping your commitments, keeping your appointments. And as an example of what it means to be relatable, I read Psalm 15. I cannot take time again today to read that, but I want to recommend to each one of you that you take time, in your own time, to find and read Psalm 15. It is the kind of person who is what I call “relatable.”

I pointed out that our American Constitution is, in its essence, a covenant. It is a covenant made between sovereign states and between the members of those sovereign states. And it takes a certain kind of person to make a covenant work, what I call a covenant man or woman. And if our nation seems to be breaking down and running into tremendous problems, I believe the root cause is the fact that a philosophy has come forth which doesn’t encourage us to be relatable. That is a false philosophy, and its product will be breakdown—national breakdown, community breakdown, and also, ultimately, international breakdown.

Today, I am going to continue with a topic that is closely related. The theme of my talk today is, “Seeing Ourselves as Contributors,” people with something to contribute; not approaching life and approaching other people with the attitude, “What will this do for me? What can I get out of this?” And again, what I am talking about is something of a revolution. It really is going against the whole stream of contemporary philosophy, which I believe to be basically a false philosophy.

This attitude of seeing ourselves as contributors represents a point of view which is emphasized in many parts of the New Testament. And I want to suggest to you today that the New Testament is a very practical book. It is not just a book of wishful thinking or dreamy ideals, but the principles and the practical approach to life which the New Testament teaches, works. In fact, ultimately, it is the only one that works. And any other philosophy or approach to life will ultimately lead to breakdown and frustration.

I want to read to you the words of the apostle Paul, as recorded in Acts chapter 20 verses 34–35. He is speaking to the elders of the church of Ephesus, a city in which he had lived and worked very closely with them for something like two years or more. In other words, he was talking to men that had seen him at close quarters. He couldn’t try to impress them or bluff them; he could only speak to them the truth. And he says:  

“You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself who said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”  

Let me repeat that last statement, which is from the lips of Jesus. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” That is not some dreamy, starry-eyed philosophy; that is real truth. If you really want to be blessed, don’t be always receiving, cultivate an attitude of giving. If it means hard work, that is not a popular phrase in most places, but Paul said, “I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak.” Again, the attitude of contemporary society is, “Let’s get the weak out of the way. Let’s eliminate them. Let’s do something so that we are not bothered with these weak people.” That is a false philosophy. It does not lead to real happiness.

In Ephesians 4:28, Paul says something rather similar, very frank. He says:  

“He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.”  

In other words, do not be lazy, do not be dishonest, be prepared to work with your hands, earn enough not just for yourself, but to be able to help those who are in need. That is a philosophy that is positive, it up-builds, and you become not a drain on society, but a contributor.

And then a simple statement made by the apostle Peter in 2 Peter chapter 1, verse 5:

“Make every effort to add to your faith [excellence].”

Excellence is a word which Christians do not use enough. What Peter is saying is, “When you become a believer, then become excellent in whatever walk of life you find yourself.” If you are a teacher, when you become a believing teacher, become an excellent teacher. If you are a janitor, become an excellent janitor. If you are a doctor, become an excellent doctor. If you could do the job without the Lord, you should be able to the job twice as well when you know the Lord, when you have access to His resources—when you can pray, seek His strength and His wisdom. So do not make your Christianity an excuse for shoddiness or laziness. But cultivate excellence. Take pride in your product. That is one of the great problems with American industry today; there are very few workers who really take any pride any longer in producing something excellent. And then we look for all sorts of economic reasons to explain something which is really basically a character fault.

In connection with this attitude that I’m speaking about, becoming a contributor, not a person who is always looking for hand-outs or the easy way through life, not approaching every situation with the attitude “What can I get out of this?” but rather with the attitude, “What can I contribute to this?” whether it is your job or the community in which you live or whatever it may be.

In connection with this attitude, I want to speak about one other way in which we need to adjust our thinking, and not be like the majority of the people who are not serving the Lord. And that is—being willing to serve. Not just serve God, but serve our fellow men.

This is taught many places in the New Testament, particularly in the teaching of Jesus Himself. I just want to read from Matthew chapter 20, verses 25–28:  

“Jesus called them together [that is His disciples], and He said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’”

You see, Jesus set a pattern. He said, “I came down from heaven, I became man. My aim was not to get something, but to give something. I did not come to be a ruler; I came to be a servant.” And He said, “I am asking you, My disciples, to follow Me in that example.”

See, today the word serve is unpopular. People look down on the concept of serving. The attitude is, “I am as good as the next man, why should I serve anybody?” It is my personal conviction that no culture can ever achieve a high level of excellence in anything unless there are some people in that culture who see it as their function to serve others.

It’s the old question of chiefs and indians. When everyone wants to be a chief and no one is willing to be an indian, things just do not work. So let me recommend that to you, approach your fellow men, live in the midst of your nation with the attitude, “I want to be a contributor. And if it needs be, I will serve, I will take the second place, I won’t seek to be a chief. I’ll be willing to be an indian in order that the community as a whole may benefit.”

Well, our time is up for today. Before I close, I am going to make a special request of you. This week and next we are asking our listeners across the nation to express their appreciation of this radio ministry by sending us a special Thanksgiving offering. I am sure you understand that this ministry is kept on the air by the offerings of people just like yourself—people who have been helped and blessed by its message. By sending us your offering at this time you will do three important things:

1. First, you will be expressing your appreciation for help that you yourself have received through this ministry.
2. Second, you will enable us to bring the same kind of help to someone else who needs it as much as you do, but may not be in a position to support us financially.
3. Third, you will encourage and strengthen me personally.

So please take time to say, “Thank you,” at Thanksgiving.