"After all we've done for you?"

There is no place where your motive for doing outreach gets tested better than when the person you are helping takes your help and then disses you (that's disrespect for you 'not so cool' folks). Over and over again in outreach you feel used, unappreciated and disrespected. You give and give (time and treasure) to a person to help them get up and out of their situation and what do you get in return? Sometimes just a snub. No thanks, no heart change, no life change, nothing. In those moments (and they are more frequent than you think) your heart is exposed. Are you whining? Are you mad? Are you withdrawing saying "fine then..."? Are you frustrated? Burned out? Bummed out? If so, welcome to outreach! And more importantly, welcome to Jesus' world.

When Jesus healed the ten lepers how many came back to give thanks? One, and he was a foreigner, in other words he wasn't a Jew who knew to give thanks. It was as if Jesus was saying, How many did I heal, ten? Where are the other nine? Didn't any body give glory to God except this guy who wadn't even raised right? (Luke 17:11-19) Here's the question: Why did Jesus heal the ten? Because He had come to make all things new, to usher in a new Kingdom where the new King is a healer. He healed them because leprosy is a part of the fall, part of the broken world which He had come to set straight, to make new. He was glad that one saw it and "his faith made him well".

A friend said the other day, "Do unto others as God in Christ has done unto you." That's the only reason to do outreach. Because God in Christ reached out to me. I was blind, and He made me see, I was broken and He put me back together, I was lost and He saved me. Any other motive will leave you looking for thanks, frustrated at the slow progress of the "dysfunctional disciples", angry that they don't care that you sacrifice to help them, they just want your help.

Oh yea, we've all treated Jesus that way, haven't we? But he healed us anyway, he set us free anyway, he saved us anyway. Friends, help folks because you've been helped. Love because you've been loved. Sacrifice for the good for others because He sacrificed for your good. Then you can be glad for the ones who 'get it' and are thankful, but you won't be bummed out when they aren't.

When you realize all He's done for you it doesn't even make sense to say, "What, after all we've done for you?"

BC