Work Hard for the Kingdom
by Josef Bilnoski
Every Thursday there is a Bible study that takes place at an assisted living facility on the southwest side of Houston. A few of us from Impact head over and spend about an hour fellowshipping and studying the Bible with some of the residents. It is a special time together and I am honored to be a part of it. Each week we learn something together from the Bible. But I also learn from the members of the group. Mike has taught me that we are all family. Sharon has taught me about transparency. Frank has taught me about being a servant. And Maria has taught me about commitment.
About a year ago, Maria found me in church and told me she was going to come to my house later that week for lunch. After enjoying lunch, she told me that I needed to start a Bible study at the assisted living facility I mentioned earlier. She had been going there every week and spending time with the residents there and thought they needed a minister to come and share the gospel with them. And that is how it started. We have been meeting ever since. Every Thursday, Maria arrives earlier than me, with bags of lunches she has prepared for everyone at the Bible study, as well as extras for me to take home to my family. She may or may not have
an extra person with her that she has brought from her own apartment complex. She is always encouraging everyone and is the glue that keeps the Bible study together. She is an amazing example of someone that looks out for others, sees their needs, and does something about it. She truly is an example of someone that follows Jesus.
Sometimes we have situations come upon us and we know the good we should do, but something keeps us from acting. Maybe we are too busy, or too tired, or it is something out of our comfort zone. When this happens to me, I think of Maria. I think of the time she came to my house to seek out a minister for a group that did not have one. I think of all the meals she pays for and lunch bags she prepares every Thursday to take across town so people can share a meal together. I think of these because they are not easy things for Maria. Maria is in her 80s. She uses a walker to help her walk at a very slow pace. She is dependent on the Metro system to get her where she needs to go. And she is on a fixed income, yet she chooses to spend her limited income on food for others. I want to be like Maria.
Maria would not be happy about me bragging about her like this, so I apologize, Maria. But I want her example to encourage others the way it has encouraged me. Work hard for the Kingdom. It is worth all we can give.
