A few years ago, while I was still serving churches, my district superintendent had an idea. Instead of the one annual meeting to train incoming chairs of local church committees, why not have several smaller events around the district? He believed that reducing travel time would encourage more people to show up. It was a good idea but a lot more work for the people planning it. I was invited to be on the planning committee. The reason being, my church was hosting one of the training events, a surprise to me. We, as a committee, worked long hours and in the end pulled off his vision. Imagine my surprise when he was recognized for this creative model of training the leaders of the local church at our annual conference. He accepted an award from the bishop and smiled and said, “I hope to expand it to even more places next year!” No mention was made of the committee that made it all happen.

I have to admit to being a little upset. But our God has a sense of humor. That day I had read this passage from Romans as part of my devotions. The last part, “love others with mutual affection,” in the translation I was reading said: “Take delight in honoring others.” Those words had made an impression on me. I had prayed, “God help me today to delight when others are honored.” I remembered that prayer and, after taking a deep breath, released my anger. We had done something that made a difference. It really didn’t matter if I got any credit.

Have you ever had a time like I experienced? We all have. It’s hard to do the work and see another recognized. But the Apostle Paul says genuine love is about uplifting others, not about getting your own pat on the back. It is about doing things because you are embracing the good that is happening instead of doing it because you want others to see your good deeds.

If we all try to build others up, God’s kingdom is glorified. My district superintendent must have reflected afterward on that award ceremony and what he said and did not say because I got a nice thank-you note from him.

Loving God, forgive us when our love and service have not been done with humility and joy. Help us to strive to love as Jesus did, with an open heart, making sure we do all we can to build others up. For when we do, we realize that you are flooding our lives with love and peace. AMEN.

This devotion was written and read by Bill Green.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

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First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.