Living In Pain Part Two 8/22/2016

Good Morning,

I hear the telltale signs of morning coming from the kitchen as the Door County Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti Coffee lands into the carafe.

Yesterday we held our annual church picnic on our grounds. It was well attended and we could not have asked for a better day. One of the fellas who was working the sweet corn roast is a dear friend of mine. He is in constant physical pain, but was there hefting bags of charcoal, roasting corn and serving butter by the gallon. Later I saw him shoveling out the ash pit and pushing everyone to the finish line. Now my friend and his wife are excellent cooks and can easily roast a couple pieces of corn at home if they wanted to for their own dinner. But yet there he was roasting 400 ears of sweet corn with a team he assembled. How did he overcome the pain?

1. He had a goal. He wanted our picnic to be a good one.
2. He cares about others and takes great pleasure in seeing others enjoy a good piece of corn.
3. In his pain he has decided that being a blessing to others outweighs the pain.


Scripture makes it clear that God blesses us not so we can live with greed, but so we can bless others. God loves a cheerful giver. When He sees that someone is giving freely out of love, God blesses them more. We are blessed to be a blessing. God Has given everyone different talents to be used for the benefit of others.


2 Corinthians 9:8-11New International Version (NIV)
⁸ And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ⁹ As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
    their righteousness endures forever.”

¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹ You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

My friend could easily say no and use his infirmity as an excuse. Bur he considers being a blessing to others his source of joy and his duty.

How about you? Can you bear the pain of today be asking God to let you help others? Are you a watering can of blessings ready to pour?

God bless,

Marty