All tagged serving
What kind of service is the consecrated Christian called to perform? Most find that it is much more than routine. Zacharias became a prophet the moment he named his son John (the Baptist) and his lips were unsealed. He was then called to do more than burn incense in the temple... He was called to a life of such magnitude that only scripture speaks of lives like his. These are his words from the Benedictus (Luke 1:57-79)...
Once again we are exploring the topic of devotion, but today we are asking ourselves what it means to be devout. For this purpose we will use a verse from Acts 12, the story of Saul becoming Paul, and the devotion of Ananias. The Jews who surrounded Ananias praised the devotion he showed to God by his obedience to the law, but do those who know us today look at our lives and call us devout? Ananias was given a good report because he obeyed the law, will we be called devout Christians because of the way we obey God’s commandments, follow Jesus, and love one another?
Are we prepared to do the Father's bidding? I am not talking about the things you consider to be the grand tasks of heaven, but rather the trivial and menial jobs. Those that lesser acts that occur every day as we live out our lives; the ones that humble us and define us in the world’s eyes as the least of all the servants.
Do we celebrate the great things we do for the Lord? Is our life dedicated to accomplishing those tasks that we feel will glorify Him, and advance the Kingdom of Heaven? Well my friends the things of real value to our Father are not those that we do for our own gratification, faith, or to win eternity, but those we do to maintain a good and loving relationship with Him. When we do His will, and allow His work to flow from within us as an unending offering of love… we will glorify Him.
Are you suffering in or through something that God has called you to do? If so, how are you approaching your hardship? Does it cause you to question His presence in what you are doing, or are you experiencing pride in your suffering? Neither of these is a proper way to deal with your spiritual hardships because it makes His calling about yourself. Only a humble trust in God is the proper reaction.
This morning I am contemplating a rather convicting subject. I am asking myself a couple of questions regarding my ability to serve the Lord in obscurity. Can I do the work of my calling without a grand moment of inspiration from God? And, is my work dependent on His making a show of my service?
When we perform our works of faith or even kneel to pray, who are we attempting to please? Are our eyes on Jesus and our hearts longing for God, or is there something or someone else who has captured the glory of our efforts? I am exploring the motivation behind our acts of faith this morning, and how we can keep them directed towards the glory of God.
Has the Lord ever called upon you to do a work for Him? If you believe in Him then most certainly, He has, because there is always a spiritual job to be done and serving Him is doing His will. Most labor has a beginning, and an end, but occasionally we are asked to do something that only begins, and whose end we cannot see. If we have been asked to do one of these never-ending works, it can wear on us over time, and we can grow tired, but two things are certain… the Lord will always give us the strength to carry on, and our work will never be in vain.
As Christians we long to serve the Lord, and to do His will, but we don’t do this out of fear, but rather a loving desire to please Him. God tells us that we are to serve Him, but then we are offered many wonderful blessings for doing so… none of these is more desirable than to experience His pleasure in us.
A newlywed told all those around him that he was happy, and fully content with his beautiful new bride, but in his quiet times he thought incessantly of an old girlfriend. If we are not careful we can fall into a similar trap in our faith... we say we have given ourselves to Jesus, and yet when we close our eyes, or dream at night, we can be consumed with the thoughts of worldly pleasures we once enjoyed, or desired. In this way we are untrue to both Jesus, and the world.