Service With A Smile (Mark 1:30-31)

Posted on January 2, 2019 by America's Keswick in Victory Call

“Serve the Lord with gladness…” – Psalm 100:2a

Not only am I a wife, mom, and grandma, I am also a mother-in-law. Sometimes, it is hard to express our love adequately to our sons-in-law and daughters-in-law, because we may not yet know them as intimately as we do our own children and grandchildren. We haven’t necessarily known them since childhood, so we don’t always know the best way for them to receive our love. Sometimes, the only way we can show our love is through serving them.

I expect that Peter’s mother-in-law may have struggled with this as well.  Not only may she have struggled to express love to her son-in-law, it’s possible she may have had a hard time even loving him. Peter was impulsive, and he loved to talk! Peter exaggerated and dramatized his stories to the extent that his mother-in-law sometimes became weary of listening to him. Besides, he certainly did not listen to her – or his wife, her precious daughter! Peter’s mother-in-law may even have been resentful of this new Rabbi Jesus who convinced Peter to walk away from his secure fishing business which provided a decent living for their family.

She may have felt like Peter was impetuous and flippant, leaving everything to follow this Jesus, leaving her child and his family with no financial future. Besides, Peter was gone all the time now, and her daughter was left alone to manage the household, while her careless husband was galivanting across the countryside with a bunch of immature young men, who also believed that Jesus was the Messiah. She may have worried about her daughter losing her home and her grandchildren going without adequate food or clothing. She may have wondered if they would all live in poverty, becoming a disgrace and shunned in the community.

Peter’s mother-in-law might have even thought Jesus was an imposter, stirring up trouble for the Jewish people, causing division in the synagogue and disrupting their traditions. He certainly twisted the interpretations of their respected rabbis. Did He really turn water into wine? Did the storm really stop at Jesus’ command or was Peter imagining how bad the storm was? Maybe it would have stopped right at the time Jesus woke up and made His statement, “Hush, be still.” Maybe Jesus was telling Peter to hush and be still. Peter could be so annoying! Was it true that Jesus had the power to heal the sick and raise the dead? She may have wondered…until one day, when she woke up violently ill. As the day wore on, she got worse and could not get out of bed. She knew she would die that day unless something miraculous happened. Death was drawing near…until Jesus came… until Jesus reached out and touched her hand.

Suddenly, the moment Jesus touched her, she was completely healed. She felt as if she had never been sick. No weakness, no pain, no fever. She immediately got up out of bed, expecting to be wobbly after being near death just moments before, but instead she felt young again, with more energy than she had in years! It may have been at that moment she knew the truth. Jesus was who Peter had been saying He was. Jesus was the Son of God and the Messiah.

Then, she did the only thing she knew to express her love for the Savior and for her impulsive, passionate son-in-law and the others who were brave enough to follow the Messiah. She served them. She prepared her best recipes and joyfully waited on her guests – and her Savior.

I would not be surprised if Peter’s mother-in-law followed Jesus from that day forward serving Him and worshiping Him all the days of her life. She may have even been among the women who were at the foot of the cross at His crucifixion, who “used to follow Him and minister to Him; and …who came up with Him to Jerusalem.” (Mark 15:40-41)

If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. John 12:26

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. Colossians 3:23-24

Written by Kim OlacheaKim Olachea served as a pastor’s wife for 35 years in NC, GA, and NJ. In 2018, she and her husband transitioned from local pastoral ministry to serve with EveryEthne and DisciplePath coaching pastors and churches to finish the Great Commission through intentional discipleship and providing soul care for pastors and their families through local meetups, conferences, and mentoring. Kim is the founder of ProverbWise and Pastors’ Wives, EveryDay Lives. She also works as the Administrative Manager at JC Jackson Homes and is the owner of Online Bookkeeping Solutions. Kim loves many kinds of music, relaxing walks on the beach, and co-leading tours with her husband to the lands of the Bible. She enjoys writing, travel, and spending time with family. Joe and Kim have five adult children, three of them married, and seven nearly perfect grandchildren. Joe and Kim reside in New Bern in Eastern NC, just a short drive from Atlantic Beach.

The Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 4-6; Romans 2 | You can download our 2018 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote:  “We always struggle so hard to hold on, but God says ‘Trust me and let go.'” – Unknown

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:  I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. – Galatians 2:20