Rent to Live?

Okay, so I'm a huge nerd, and I really love watching the Oprah show. Sure, not everyone loves Oprah, and I too have some qualms about her-mostly the fact that she doesn't share her magazine cover with anyone. But, anyway, there are some things that she does that really are great. She started another show (yeah, yeah) called The Big Give, which takes 10 people from across the country who want to give back for something they themselves have been given. I think it's a great thing. MalaakCompton-Rock, Chris Rock's wife is one of the celebrity judges on the show, and one thing she said today on Oprah made so much sense. She started it by saying that this is something she says so much at home that her kids can already recite it; "Serving is the rent we pay for living." I have no idea what the Rock families values are, or what their beliefs are, but as Christians, I think this is the attitude we should all possess. We have been given life by the Almighty, powerful God, and what did we ever deserve to have it? And, in our sin nature, we continue to act like huge clowns, grieving the heart of God, yet He continues to love and care for us, walks with us and never turns His back on us no matter how many times we may do it to Him. We have been given this life and the only thing we are really supposed to do is to love God, and show His love to others. I think that the least we can do is pay our rent for living-through serving. God calls us to serve and to do it without griping or feeling burdened by it. Last night we have a worship and prayer night at Lakeview, and there were only about 10 of us there. But one thing Pastor Kevin said about prayer is that it is a burden from God, but shouldn't be burdensome. It should be something we feel we need to do, but not that it is a pain or a hassle. I think the same can be said for service. It should be a burden from God, but shouldn't be burdensome at all. In fact, I know from traveling to Uganda and seeing these amazingly beautiful people- who by our standards have absolutely nothing- may not have "anything" materially speaking, yet they have everything because they have God, and the biggest, most giving and serving hearts. We went there to serve them and help them to spread the Gospel, but more than I can say I helped them accomplish anything, I learned what it truly means to serve others, and do it cheerfully and out of love. The Ugandan people are some of the most unique and beautiful people I have ever met. They love people so much, don't get mad about anything, and are just genuine in every sense of the word. This is something that I hope that I can aspire to and think that I forget sometimes. I pray that for each of us, we take the very gift of life and blessing that we have been given so freely, and use it to serve others. To pay our rent for living, so to speak.