Daily Reading for Sunday, Feb. 10: Serving

“1 Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him
and he will bring justice to the nations.
2 He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
4 he will not falter or be discouraged
til he establishes justice on earth.”
Isaiah 42:1-4a NIV

This passage speaks specifically of Jesus, the fulfillment of the prophesy of the Messiah. We see many attributes of Jesus in these passages, and we could discuss many things about this particular passage. But notice in verse 1, where the Lord says “my chosen one in whom I delight?” I love that verse because of another verse, this time found in Romans 8: 15b-17, which states that we are God’s children and joint heirs with Christ. Yes, we share in his sufferings, but we also share in his glory. And, to me, there is no higher glory than the delight of the Father. We have been chosen, as heirs of Christ, to carry on the work of the Word of God. We have been chosen to serve, just as Christ was chosen to serve. We serve in differing manners, but we serve nevertheless. And God, when He sees our service, takes great delight in us. In fact, He even gives us gifts! Notice what verse 1 says: “I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.” That is what our ministry of reconciliation is accomplishing! We serve the world, those who are perishing, by the gifting and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, so that the justice of Christ may be theirs. If Jesus, who was foremost in all creation, can serve in such a way; then certainly, we, who say we are called by His name, who lay claim to His promises, and who are rightly called joint-heirs with Christ, can surely serve in such a way as well. We serve because we love God; our reward is that He delights in us. We serve to administer the justice of God, which is the blood of Jesus; our reward is that many come to the saving grace of the knowledge Jesus Christ. This is our heartbeat and the very foundation of our passion—however it is expressed. And this is what we were chosen for.

Daily Reading for Saturday, Feb. 9: Serving

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” Acts 2: 17-18 NIV

If we are born again, we are God’s servants. God recognizes that, the angels recognize that, and we must recognize that. The word minister is actually derived from a word that means “to serve.” A minister is a servant; so if you think you’re not called to ministry, you are wrong. We are all called upon to serve in this kingdom. When a young man reaches the age of 18, he is required to register with the selective service. Why? So that, if needed, his country can call upon him to serve in the military. In the same way, when we are born again, we are registered in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Our name is placed on the list. And because we are among those who have been redeemed, we gladly take up the call to serve. Our service is not a compulsion; it is an expression of worship. We volunteer our service, and the Lord prepares the place where we are to serve. In fact, not only does the Lord prepare a place to serve, He equips us to serve as He desires. The Lord said he would pour out His spirit on all flesh, and His servants would prophesy. Why? So that we would boldly proclaim the living Christ and His atoning death—through our service. I encourage you today, be filled with His Spirit as He is poured out. The Holy Spirit will transform you from a hearer of the word to a doer of the word; He will guide you in His truth as you translate it into deeds. And by doing so, you will be walking in servanthood, fervently seeking and finding the kingdom of God.

Daily Reading for Friday, Feb. 8: Serving

“And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant.” Luke 22:24-26 NAS

What is a servant? Webster’s Unabridged 1913 Dictionary defines a servant as : 1) one who serves, or does services, voluntarily or on compulsion; a person who is employed by another for menial offices, or for other labor, and is subject to his command; a person who labors or exerts himself for the benefit of another, his master or employer;

Clearly, being a servant is not the most exalted position to be in. When you are in a servile position, you have little control over your actions. Your passions and desires must submit to the master, and your will cannot be done, only the master’s. Sound familiar? Remember what Jesus taught us to pray? “Thy will be done.” When we enter into the kingdom of God, we become the children of God. But then, we willingly take on the mantle of servanthood. In following Christ, we lay aside our privileges, our perks, and our trappings of royalty in order to serve a lost and dying world. The Bible says that Jesus emptied himself when he left heaven. What did he empty himself of? He willingly set aside the divine adornments in order to walk among us. And He did so with only one purpose: to reconcile a broken world to the Father through his ultimate act of servanthood—the cross. We, too, are servants of Christ. And like Jesus, we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, not to only be filled, but to boldly proclaim the mystery of God in Jesus. How glorious it is to be a servant of the Most High! To be used in such a manner! And so, we press in, daring to serve, desiring to serve, desperate to serve. We serve one another, we serve those who are perishing, and most of all, we serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Daily Reading for Thursday, Feb. 7: Serving

“4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:5

Yesterday, we discussed the story of Martha and Mary. The cause for Martha’s frustration was the fact that Mary was not serving as Martha expected her to. In the church, there can sometimes be expectations that we are to serve in one manner or another. Yet, this verse reminds us that this expectation is really counter-productive. Have you ever heard the phrase, “If everyone would just (fill in the blank).”? I know I’ve even uttered it a time or two. But the truth is that not everyone will serve as you expect them to, because God places different gifts, different passions, and different kinds of service into each and every one of us. So we must not be discouraged or offended if not “everyone” does what our passion dictates we do. We must simply follow the Lord, serve Him as He desires, and thank Him for the diversity of His body.

Daily Reading for Wednesday, Feb. 6: Serving

“38 And as they went on, it happened, He also entered into a certain village. And a certain woman, Martha by name, received Him into her house. 39 And to this one was a sister being called Mary, who also was sitting alongside, at the feet of Jesus, and heard His Word. 40 But Martha was distracted about much serving. And coming on she said, Lord, is it not a care to You that my sister left me alone to serve? Then tell her that she should help me. 41 But answering Jesus said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 But there is need of only one; and Mary chose the good part, which shall not be taken from her.’” Luke 10:38-42 LITV

Have you ever felt like Martha? I know I have. In fact, I know I’ve acted like Martha a lot more than I’ve acted like Mary. It is so easy to get “distracted with much serving” so that we lose sight of the whole reason we’re serving in the first place. I’ve been in Martha’s shoes before; and I know how frustrated I’ve become with others when it seems like they get to sit at the Lord’s feet while all I get to do is work, work, work. And then the Lord takes me aside, and says, “Jennifer, Jennifer, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but there is need of only one.” What He tells me is that I have to choose whom I will serve—the things that demand my attention or the Lord who deserves my attention. We often miss the point that Mary was serving the Lord, too, that day. Her service to Him was to sit at His feet and receive the Word He was giving out. Jesus said that she chose the good part—to serve him in quiet worship at His feet.

Daily Reading for Monday, February 4: Serving

Core Value:
Serving

Greatness in life comes through serving and loving others.

We know life is about serving others, not ourselves. God has shaped each of us in specific ways with natural and supernatural gifts to serve Him and expand His kingdom. We shall strive to be a community of servants who, like Jesus, did not come to be served but to serve. For a person to truly be great, he must be a servant of God and others. We find personal significance through being released to focus on the needs and interests of others. We believe that the desire to serve God and people is God's intention for everyone.

Introduction

This week we explore the core value of service. As Jesus said, “The greatest among you shall be your servant.” If, out of all of our times of prayer, our passion for Christ, and the changing process He takes us on, we cannot develop a servant’s heart toward one another or to the lost, we have acted in vain. For we cannot effectively minister to one another or to our neighbors if we cannot serve them. Let’s explore what it means to serve, how to serve, and the love that God pours out on those He calls His servants.

Daily Reading for Monday, February 4
“5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.” Ephesians 6:5-8 NIV

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he replied, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” We’ve already explored how these verses describe the passion a believer possesses and expresses for Jesus. Perhaps the greatest expression of passion is service, for it is service that differentiates between true passion and emotionalism. Emotionalism quickly gets dried up in service; passion gets fired up. Emotionalism’s fervor wanes in service; passion’s fervor is stoked higher. That is because, when we serve according to the passion God has placed inside us, that passion is fed. And, using the campfire analogy, the glowing embers are fanned into flame as passion is acted upon through service.

You may be thinking to yourself, “Yeah, right. I serve and I don’t feel very passionate. Or you may be saying to yourself, “I don’t have a passion, how can I serve?” Let me challenge you with this thought: for the Christian, all passion can only come from love of Jesus Christ. No matter what we may feel passionate towards, that passion must be for Christ first and foremost. If you feel that you don’t have a passion, check your love level. Is Jesus first and foremost in your life? We can only serve wholeheartedly when the Lord has our whole heart; from that service springs the abundance of passion-fueling love that will propel you into all kinds of ministry.