Susan Sparks has become one of my favorite people recently - she is my great Uncle Keith's attorney. She is a disciple of Jesus, kind, patient, and honorable in all of her work. But something I discovered blew me away - the countless hours she has poured into our case for our family have all been pro bono, that is to say, free of charge. Why would she do this? Her answer: because that's why God put her here, to help others in need. Wow. Well...we likewise as Christians have been called to do good works, and here's the catch: it's also pro bono. We do them voluntarily from a heart of love and expect nothing in return. All of the glory goes to God as we serve others just as God has served us.
#SetYourMindAbovePodcast
Susan Sparks has become one of my favorite people recently - she is my great Uncle Keith's attorney. She is a disciple of Jesus, kind, patient, and honorable in all of her work. But something I discovered blew me away - the countless hours she has poured into our case for our family have all been pro bono, that is to say, free of charge. Why would she do this? Her answer: because that's why God put her here, to help others in need. Wow. Well...we likewise as Christians have been called to do good works, and here's the catch: it's also pro bono. We do them voluntarily from a heart of love and expect nothing in return. All of the glory goes to God as we serve others just as God has served us.
#SetYourMindAbovePodcast
Welcome back to all of our listeners! I’m BJ Sipe, and you’re listening to the Set Your Mind Above podcast – where everyday ordinary events teach us extraordinary eternal truths. I’m so glad that you’ve tuned in today, I am excited to share my life and my faith with you, and I sure hope that you’ll do the same with me along the way.
In yesterdays podcast, I shared a powerful expression from one of our lawyers that taught me a very important lesson about how we sometimes are defined by our enemies. Today, we learn yet another lesson from another lawyer that has been representing our family. Susan Sparks is my great Uncle Keith’s lawyer, and continues to represent him as things are continuing to be settled up in Madison. I have to say, she has quickly become one of my favorite people I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Take everything that you would stereotypically think of with a lawyer, and then reverse it: that is Susan. She is patient, kind, compassionate, has a sound moral compass, and yet more than anything, is a disciple of Jesus. I was so impressed with how she represented Keith, dealt with opposition, and how she shared so much of her time with our family. In fact, it was not until after the trial that I learned the most astonishing factor – throughout the entirety of this process over a period of many months, Susan has being doing this pro bono. If you are unaware of what pro bono is, essentially when it is used in a legal sense, it is the willingness to provide services & professional work at no cost to an individual. It is a voluntary work that a firm or individual lawyer participate in as an ethical principal, especially in strenuous circumstances where someone cannot afford a lawyer or have been the victim of abuse or neglect. In this instance, Susan has poured literally hundreds of hours into this case and helping Keith, and she has asked for absolutely nothing in return. She has had no financial benefit in representing Keith, and so I was curious to know why she did it. Her response was so powerful. “Well, our firm of course encourages us to do a certain number of pro bono cases each year, because it is good for the image & reputation of our firm. But more importantly…I feel like God put me here to do the work I do this purpose, to help others who most desperately need help.” As she spoke, tears started to form in my eyes. She went on to tell us about how she even got into law school, how it was later in life when she was already 40 years old and God just continued to open up doors one after another. As such, she felt a great weight of responsibility with how God has blessed her to work in this way. Also, she went on to talk about how Keith touched her heart by his own faith, and how in his case he has been the victim of especially great emotional abuse, so she knew that this is what God wanted her to do – and she was happy to do it. I don’t know if any of you listening are currently living in the State of Indiana, but if you are, I cannot encourage you to seek out Susan Sparks if you are ever in need of legal help. While she can’t provide pro bono for every case, what she will provide is legal services in a godly manner from a heart full of love. But more than anything, can I ask you to do something for me: could you pray for Susan? Pray for her work, her family, and pray that God can continue to put her in a position to serve others, especially those who cannot help themselves. Prayers work, and I know that she would greatly appreciate knowing that all of our listeners stopped to pray for her by name today.
As I thought about these things, I opened up my Bible and through some study started to realize that we have been commissioned to do the very same thing ourselves, but from a very different authority. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have been called to do good to all people – and here’s the catch: everything is pro bono. Let us consider a few passages of scripture together. First, the work that we do is voluntary, not out of obligation. In Paul’s personal letter to Philemon concerning his servant Onesimus, consider what he says concerning Philemon’s motivation for doing the right thing: “I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord.” Paul says earlier that he could have used his apostolic authority to command Philemon to do good & do the right thing, but he did not. Such a decision would need to come directly from Philemon himself, as motivated not by obligation, but by love. You see a gift that is demanded is no gift at all. Such is the case with the good that we are called do to for others as Christians. While in a sense we are commanded or expected to be busy about good works from God, that is not the motive through which we act. Rather, in love, we voluntarily serve and do good to others. The love through which we volunteer to act in the service of others is the very same love we learned from Jesus who laid down his own life voluntarily for us in order that we might be saved. Second, the work that we do for others is free – that is, truly selfless in nature. Consider Jesus teaching as found in Luke 6:32-36, “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” Service and sacrifice for others in Christ Jesus is not about personal gain. We do not seek glory, seek compensation, or even seek gratitude – this is implied by the fact that here Jesus even calls us to love our enemies and do good to them, not just those who love you back. As disciples of Christ, everything is pro bono. We expect nothing in return for our service to others, for that is not the reward that we seek. Simply to have the opportunity to love others with the same kind of love with which Christ loved us is reward enough, but Jesus also says that doing brings a different reward as we store up for ourselves treasure in heaven (see 1 Timothy 6:18). This is the most wonderful part about being a Christian, because doing things for others, even strangers or enemies, while expecting nothing in return puzzles most people. You will be asked, “Why would you do something like that? Why would you serve others, especially those who could not do anything in return for you?” It is in these moments that you will have an opportunity to witness for Jesus and share his love with others. We serve others freely because he did so first for us. We love & are full of mercy because he loves us & has shown us mercy. In fact, I am convinced that the best way that we can tell others about Jesus is not through our words, but through actions like these. Let’s conclude with the following words of Jesus from the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:14-16, ““You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. Tune in, Tuesday-Fridays, as a new podcast episode will be uploaded each day. Also, be sure to follow the Facebook page for the Set Your Mind Above podcast for future announcements and video sessions. As you have the opportunity, share these thoughts with your friends and family, and share with me what important lessons you are learning from every day, ordinary events. Until next time know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each and every day set our minds above.