JANUARY 11 - Jon Campbell . . . Servant

JANUARY 11 - Jon Campbell . . . Servant

 

 This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word. — ISAIAH 66:2

 

A good friend of mine went home to be with Jesus this year. His name was Jon Campbell, and he was quite a servant. Whenever we were together, Jon would somehow, someway hunt down the keys to my van and take it to the car wash. I tried to hide my keys several times, but to no avail. An hour or so later, I’d look out the window and there he’d be wiping the hubcaps. I never kept my van clean, but he sure did.

 

You may not think Jon’s ser vice was all that unusual. But up until he went to heaven, Jon served as president of one of the most prominent media organizations in the United States. He served on the board of trustees of colleges, and he helped lead a prestigious national association with thousands of members. Jon was a busy man with many ministry priorities, and cleaning my van should not have been one of them. But it was.

 

That’s because Jon was not only a servant, but a humble one. He delighted in finding lowly, menial tasks with which most people never bothered. He enjoyed doing things quietly and discreetly, and he never drew attention to himself. Jon was truly “humble and contrite in spirit.” All of us who knew him are absolutely certain it’s because he trembled at God’s Word.

 

Cultivate a spirit of humility today by doing a simple act of ser vice and doing it anonymously. Folding towels for your roommate . . . cutting roses for the desk of a new employee . . . baking cookies for your coworkers . . . taking out trashcans for an elderly neighbor . . . scholarshiping a disabled kid to camp . . . giving a gift  certificate to a working single mom . . . washing a car for a friend.

 

Lord Jesus, may I follow your example of humble service today. Give me the resolve to delight in doing things quietly without drawing attention to myself.