Are you running a ‘children’s home’ or a ‘feeding lot’?

I recently attended a men's conference by a renowned preacher who focuses on men's ministry. During one of the sessions on love, he made some really convicting statements and gave testimonies on genuine love and motive for serving God. The question kept ringing in my mind, ‘Much as you are a believer, what are your motives for serving God? Is it a quest for personal glory and reward, or a genuine love and heart after God’s glory and the good of His people?’

Common preaching today when it comes to serving God, is centred on stewardship, and the fact that in stewardship, God will judge us for how much we accomplished with what He gave us (this is mostly depicted from the parable in Matthew 25:14-30 on the talents). So the result is that we have Christians running around hastily trying to do as much as they can ‘for God’ so that they may be found to be ‘good and faithful servants’ when our Lord returns. The more works we do in His name the merrier it would seem…

But during the conference, the preacher posed a very interesting thought to us. In one of his testimonies, he mentioned how the Lord had enabled him to take care of about 27 orphans on his farm. He provides them with every basic need and education. So one time a friend and fellow Christian serving God visited him; and on seeing that the preacher was taking care of 27 children, he saw it fit to mention that on his part, he was taking care of a much larger figure of 300 children. So ideally, with his 300, he would have been found to be a more faithful servant than the preacher when the Lord returns.

But interesting to note was his choice of words when he described his 300, he referred to his project as a ‘feeding lot’, to which the preacher was quick to respond that on the other hand, he was running a ‘children’s home’, and not a ‘feeding lot’. While the preacher’s friend measured his ministry in terms of facts and figures, he measured his in terms of love – the children and love for them was more important than their number or feeding program…

His friend was using secular standards of success that are tied to quantity instead of godly standards that are tied to love according to the Greatest Commandment to love God and one another (Mark 12:29-31). So instead of running a children’s home, he was running a feeding lot, where the children indeed knew his hand that provided, but couldn’t put a face that truly cares to the hand.

This poses a challenging question to us, in your service to God, which is more visible, your busy hand, or your loving face? What is your motive for serving God, personal gain or a genuine love for God and His people? What can your service be equated to, a ‘children’s home’, or a ‘feeding lot’?