Hebrews
3:10 says, "The
just shall live by faith."
In this day of self-centered
living and pleasure-oriented lifestyle, the total commitment to God of body,
mind, and possessions portrayed today is difficult for many Christians to
achieve. Even though we realize that we have nothing we have not received and
that we are only stewards of the good gifts God has entrusted to us, we often
fail to apply this basic truth to our daily lives:
The gold that came from
Thee, Lord, to Thee belongeth still; oh, may I always faithfully my stewardship
fulfill.
I was young and afraid but as a Ten year old, the last thing I expect to feel was despondence about serving by Faith.
A lot of family members were concern about our lives after my mothers passing. My sister and I spent weekend after weekend spending time with different relatives. One of my uncles was a deacon in the Baptist church and it was his weekend with us. Times after dinner were spend what he called, “Bible Time for Kids”. Daily devotions for us and my cousins (I called it boring time with kids) But this time the topic was of interest to me, ‘The Master Becomes a Servant’. The theme was “Jesus wants us to serve one another”. Yes, I was familiar with the term; because my mother had taught me the song,” This little light of mine” and let your light shine always, Ronnie, “she would say”, meaning for service. But quite honestly at that time the hurt was to much, and living up to its meaning presented a challenge for my immature mind; Why? Because by nature sin was getting in the way, the worldly self and out of fear I was not listening. Surrender or have a relationship with Jesus at that time, “Not”! What is your worldly reason for not serving God!
How many times have you really thought about the following?
Is it really
necessary to serve God? What is the purpose of changing our priorities to
accomplish tasks that God could honestly do better and more quickly without us?
Peter addresses the importance of serving God
in 1 Peter 4:10-: “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve
others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone
speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone
serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things
God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him are the glory and the power forever
and ever. Amen.” Peter makes it clear that we have received our gifts from God
for two purposes— to serve others and to bring praise to God. Serving isn’t
about us receiving attention or glory; it is for Him to receive glory.
Do believers
recognize that we are speaking and serving directly on behalf of God to others?
He gives the ability and strength for us to do so. And when we direct glory
towards Him instead of accepting it for ourselves, we stand out from the crowd
of those who glorify only themselves. And that difference in our lives causes
people to examine the life-changing nature of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
It validates our faith in front of others.
Romans 12:1-2 says,
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies
as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of
worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and
approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Paul’s point
is that for those who have been saved by the blood of Jesus, it only makes
sense to honor Him. Giving ourselves to God is our spiritual act of worship
(the Greek word for “spiritual” can also be translated "reasonable").
It’s only reasonable that we would serve the God who has provided the greatest
service of all: salvation from sin and self and eternal life with Him in
heaven.
True
Christian leadership is servant hood, and the greatest leader of all time is
Jesus Christ. Servant hood is an attitude exemplified by Christ “who, though he
was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant” Philippians 2:6-7. The five
words in the New Testament translated “ministry” generally refer to servant
hood or service given in love. Serving others is the very essence of ministry.
All believers are called to ministry Matthew 28:18-20 and, therefore, we are
all called to be servants for the glory of God. Living is giving; all else is
selfishness and boredom.
It has been
rightly stated, “Rank is given you to enable you to better serve those above
and below you. It is not given for you to practice your idiosyncrasies” General
Bruce C. Clarke, USA, Ret. Let’s serve others by serving Christ Colossians
3:23-24. God the Father has served us by sacrificing Christ on the cross for
our sins, and we should serve others by giving the gospel and our lives to them.1
Thessalonians 1:5-6. Those who desire to be great in God’s kingdom must be the servants
of all Matthew 20:26
"The
Word of God is the most important thing in life,” "When you're hit with the trials
of life—and we're all going to have them—you will find out if you're walking by
faith or walking by sight. "I really believe the Lord called us to be in
service for the church and the community so that He could use us there. It is
not just a job; it is a ministry." Therefore,
“serve the Lord with gladness” Psalm 100:2.
God Bless
You and This Ministry!
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