Serving Others

Philippians 2:7, " But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:" (KJV)

 

The idea of serving others runs contrary to the attitude of many who live among us in our present world. We live in a world of "me" and what is "best for me." Culture has even created a new term to describe this phenomena; it is called "selfie." This word was developed as more and more people enjoy talking about themselves, sharing pictures of themselves and even going as far as to describe many of their personal activities through the various social media outlets. This blog is not so much concerned with warning us about the challenge of social media  but I am more interested in reinforcing the positive manner that Christ gave to us an example of a servant when He came into this world. I will have to discuss "selfishness" versus "selflessness" in a future post as the Spirit directs.

 

The writings of the Spirit through the hands of Paul came into my mind during an adult Discipleship class last night. We were discussing the third Missionary journey of Paul. The life of the Apostle Paul has always intrigued me but the presentation challenged me to focus on his actions of serving others. But his service was not just through his words, sermons, letters, or teachings. The life of Paul revealed his personal desire and not just a professional desire to serve the family of God. He was not being paid to serve; as a matter of fact the Word reveals that he paid a dear price to be able to serve the family of God. The Apostle Paul was not a "selfie"! The Apostle Paul was a servant who had encountered Christ, the example of servanthood and his life had been eternally impacted and transformed.

 

The lesson that was presented challenged me to ask questions of myself. Am I true servant who serves for the right purpose? Do I truly care more for others than I do for myself? Is my life about me or is my life about serving others? How large is my ego? What truly matters in my life? I will stop with my personal list of questions. But I do encourage you to take a look at your role of servanthood. The church does not have positions to fill which promise to bring you stardom and attention but the church does have positions open which promise to bring you opportunities to serve others. Oh, the joy of serving others as we walk the road of life. Let us lay off the garments of selfishness and take up the garments of selflessness and service!!

Remembrance, Part 2

Psalm 103:1-2, "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. ² Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:" (KJV)

 

Yesterday's post reminded us of the need to remember those wonderful benefits that accompany placing our faith and trust in God. I trust that you took some time to meditate and reflect on the benefits that accompany our relationship with God. I am sure that many who read this blog have needs that are similar to those I face at this present time. If we do not possess a personal need at this time we certainly know someone who does. It seems that my prayer list never shrinks; the names just change to reflect the updated needs that are shared with me. These last two sentences reflect the reality of life but it also leads us to the throne room of God where we can freely share our burdens with Him.

 

This morning it seemed as though the Spirit asked me this question as I began my time of prayer. "Are you going to trust Me with your requests today?" I was somewhat stunned and amazed at the same time. I knew that God knew all things but this question brought that stark reality to the forefront of my thought process. Praying was not the question, I was beginning to pray as I normally do. The deeper question hinged on the fact of whether I would trust God or would I just go through the motions of pretending to trust Him as I prayed. I am still somewhat overwhelmed as I write these words 3 1/2 hours later. Will I trust Him resonated in my heart throughout my prayer time and the question is still resonating in my heart as I write these words.

 

I have come to this conclusion now that I have had some time to reflect. There are some situations that are easier to place in God's hands and care than others. There are some situations that I can more easily trust God with than others. I hope that I do not offend you or hinder your faith through my transparency regarding my thoughts today. But in my heart I know that I want to trust God with every situation. It was during those moments that the Word of God came rushing into my heart and began reminding me of the revealed promises of the Heavenly Father. My faith and trust began to grow stronger and I found myself leaving my burdens with the Lord. I plan on learning from this encounter with the Spirit and I am fully committed to continue my journey of trusting in the promises of God.

 

Be encouraged today as you continue to place your trust in God and His mighty Word!!

Remembrance

Psalm 103:1-2, "Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:" (KJV)

The past few days have been ones in which God has reminded me to remember His many and wonderful benefits. Many of you could quote the wonderful promises that are found in this powerful passage of scripture. But this morning the Lord stopped me at the last part of verse 2 and I believe that He wanted to remind me of a very valuable principle. It is the principle of remembrance. I am reminded not to forget the benefits of God. My observation of this portion of truth leads me to believe that I have the ability and maybe even the propensity to forget "His benefits." Life does have a way to bring "spiritual amnesia" into our thought process as we move through daily situations and challenges. 

The Lord in His amazing Graciousness this morning reminded me of prayers that have been answered in recent days. The Lord through His wonderful loving care reminded me of an individual that had been delivered from an addiction that had challenged them for a long time. The Lord through His awesome sacrifice on the cross reminded me of an individual who had prayed the sinner's prayer and accepted Christ as their Savior. I believe that I am receiving a witness of confirmation and encouragement as these words are being read. The Lord reminded through the power of Jehovah-Raphe of an individual who received a wonderful report from their last visit with their Doctor. The Lord also reminded me through the promises of God found in His Word that there is so much more that the Heavenly Father desires to share with His children. Although these words were written in a song I am going to share them one more time; "Our God is an awesome God..." Let the church say AMEN!

Would you let this blog post remind each of us of the greatness of God? And may His Word and the revelation of His presence assist us through the process of our memory!!!

² 

Valentine's Day

First of all, I desire to wish a Happy Valentine's Day to my lovely wife, Ann. She has been and continues to be a blessing to me and in a few weeks we will celebrate 42 years of marriage. I am thankful for the day that God brought her into my life and I am thankful for the day that God awakened the true Biblical sense of love, honor, respect, and caring in my heart for her. We have been blessed tremendously as we have walked this road together. Each of those 42 years have been spent in the Ministry and God has rewarded our lives in so many ways and I rejoice in His blessings today.

 

Valentine's Day allows us to reflect on the love that we have for our spouse, our family, our friends and our local church family. We are able to recognize the role that loves plays in our lives and the importance of those people with which we share that love. I would encourage you to take a little extra time and remember those people that God has placed in your life for His unique purpose and plan. I realize that the "bad" people of our world garner all of the attention but we must remember that each of us have been blessed to encounter many "good and wonderful" people who have definitely made a difference in our lives. We may need to step out of our comfort zone and let these "good" people know that we love and appreciate the contribution that they have made to our lives. Several people immediately come to my mind as I am typing these words to share with you through this blog post. Do not let your thoughts remain buried in the recesses of your mind. Use some form of communication (card, note, email, text, phone call, etc.) to express your thankfulness to them. Your thoughtfulness in this expression of appreciation will bless you as well as bringing a smile to their face and a sense of knowing that someone cares. Trust me on this one, the individuals who receive the communication will be encouraged and strengthened.

 

Yesterday I shared some thoughts from Dr. James Dobson concerning our marriages. I would like to share five (5) more inspirations from his understanding of marriage relationships.

6. Trust one another and build reasonable boundaries -- jealousy and trust rarely co-exist. 

7. Avoid alcohol or substance abuse, pornography, gambling and other potential addictions that will quickly kill your marriage and your life. 

8. Be content with having enough -- “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread” (Proverbs 30:8). 

9. Think of your marriage as a marathon -- you will need determination and faith to go the distance of a lifetime. 

10. Keep Christ at the center and remember His words, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).



James Dobson

James Dobson is a well known defender of the family as well as the values that make the family a strong and viable unit in the midst of all the challenges that the "family unit" is facing today. His expertise and his desire to share his expertise and knowledge with families has been a source of encouragement to many of us through the years as we have read his books and newsletters. I read some great, simple advice for marriages in a recent article that came from his desk. I would like to share a portion of that with you today. I encourage each of you are presently living in the state of holy matrimony or planning on taking that step in the near future to take a moment and seriously review these thoughts and be willing to make application of them to your life. The modern day church needs our marriages strengthened so that we can bless our families as well as serve as a witness to those people who are in our circle of influence.

 

Take some time to reflect on these thoughts from Dr. Dobson:

 

1. Reserve time for one another at all costs. 

2. Spend only what you have -- financial stress kills romance. 

3. Leave no room for selfishness -- be relationship givers and not takers. 

4. Make sure the “leave and cleave” principle takes place (Genesis 2:24). 

5. Bring your expectations in line with reality -- the perfect spouse does not exist. 

How Do You See God?, Part 3

Psalm 121

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
² My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
⁸ The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.  (NKJV)

 

This Psalm speaks to my heart in several different manners. 1) These words remind me that God will assist those who seek Him. 2) These words reveal that the writer made a definite decision to look toward God for the help, assistance and provision that he needed. I (we) must remember that we have to make that conscious decision on a daily basis as we face our unique set of trials, battles, decisions, afflictions, struggles, etc. We must know in our heart where we are going to look prior to the time that these daily events and moments take place. The decision to seek after God must take place at the front of the situation and not just during the situation. 3) The writer asks the question, "Where does my help come from?" Each of us will ask that question at various times on our journey through life and we must be prepared to make the correct response to that personal inquiry. No one else can answer that question for you. You and I must be determined in our own mind that God is the source of all that I need to be successful in my journey through life. This is true regardless of our age. This is true regardless of our socio-economic background. This is true regardless of our ethnic background. This is true regardless of our religious background. God is where we will look for direction, guidance, protection, and provision.

 

I am thankful that I have sought after God and that I have found Him to be true to His Word!

How Do You See God?, Part 2

I have never traveled to a large number of exotic and majestic tourist attractions in my lifetime. I do remember flying over the Grand Canyon several years ago as Ann and I traveled to California for a speaking engagement. I was completely amazed at the beauty of this "wonder" of God's creation. I was literally caught off guard through what I was able to identify from the window of an airplane. I can only imagine what it would have been like to have seen the view of the same canyon from an up close and personal viewpoint. Each of you could make that same statement about things and places that you have seen in your lifetime. I remember the first time I saw the Smokey Mountain range. Do you remember the first time that you viewed the ocean? I remember being amazed as we drove up and around Big Bear Mountain on the trip to California.

 

I could continue to share about some other "famous" places that we have visited but I have also seen the greatness of God in day to day observations of things in my locale. The beauty of a sunrise; the drama of a sunset; the ice on the limbs of trees that shimmer like diamonds and fancy glitter; the laugh of a baby; the warm embrace of your family; etc. Is anyone getting my point at this juncture of the post? ISN'T GOD SIMPLY AMAZING AS HE REVEALS HIMSELF TO US? The amazing greatness of God can be identified in far away places but also in the activities of your daily life.

 

But this question remains with us and it can be pictured as the proverbial "elephant in the room." Why have we lost our awe and wonder at the presence of God? Why are we so easily overwhelmed by the things that God has created or inspired and yet we find ourselves so "underwhelmed" by the presence of God? We are impressed with the temporal and yet the Eternal Lord God Almighty is so easily overlooked by a generation that seeks, desires and lives for immediate gratification. Each of us fight daily to keep from becoming captured by this attitude that is so prevalent in our society and I am saddened to report that it has made its way into the church. Is it possible that we love and revere the creation more than the Creator? Is it possible that we worship what God has created more than we worship God? I don't write this to criticize but I do write this to provoke some serious introspection from each of us. Let us commit to worship God for who He is and not just for what He has provided for us. 

How Do You See God?

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind,and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30 HCSB).

 

This passage of scripture has been resonating in my heart for several weeks. These words of Jesus capture a desire that I possess in my heart regarding my relationship with God. How can I truly love Him as I should if I don't recognize Him in the correct manner? Am I still captured by the awe and wonder that is connected to God and His revelation of love that was shared with each of us through Jesus Christ, the Son of God? During my years of Ministerial service I have heard people share these words with me as they were referencing their relationship with their companion:  "I just don't love him/her anymore. I am not attracted to him/her anymore. I have fallen out of love with him/her. He/she does not meet my needs anymore." I could continue sharing these comments but I am sure that you can get the picture of what I am trying to say. The readers of this blog have probably heard those words and in some cases may have even spoken those words either in your heart or publicly in a conversation with someone. Those comments refer to a deteriorating relationship with someone that you once shared a common bond with which was based on love, care, concern, respect, appreciation, etc. Is it possible to say that these individuals had lost their awe and wonder for their companion which created an atmosphere in which they were drifting apart rather than drawing closer? I am not a therapist but I do believe that these factors have contributed to the break down of the marriages of many people who at one time possessed a strong commitment of love for each other. Many experts who write and discuss the building of strong marriages encourage the couple to "court" one another after they are married just as they did when they were single.

 

I believe that some of these principles can be seen in our relationship with Christ. Our relationship with Christ ran at a pace of fervor, awe, thankfulness, gratitude, and recognition that we were saved through the awesome and mighty love of God! We lived in a deeper state than simply the state of attraction; we had fallen in love with our Savior who had paid the ransom price for our salvation. We stood amazed at His Grace and the appropriation of His Grace toward us. Yes, many of us were and continue to be emotional when we remember the deliverance that Christ brought into our lives. But our relationship was much more than simple emotion; we had fallen in love with the One who first loved us. The release of His wonderful love in our lives afforded us the opportunity to not only love Him but also to correctly love those people that God had placed in our lives. I do not want to lose that love for my Savior and I encourage you to pursue the same goal in your life. The enemy seeks to dilute our love for Christ in such a manner that we grow cold in our relationship with our Savior. But I believe that the Spirit will provide the strength that we need to continue walking in the blessing of loving God in the correct manner. Let us seek to love Him with everything that is in us!

Weekend Reflections

Today's blog post will focus on some personal musings or thoughts that have permeated my heart over the past few days.

1) How often do I truly "meditate" on what the Word of God is saying to me (take a moment and focus on the word "me")?

2) Do I understand the "times" in which we are living or am I simply emotional in my response to the conditions of the world because I don't like what I see happening? 

3) Is Christ truly my Lord as well as my Shepherd?

4) Do I look to God for direction/guidance as much as I do for blessings/provision?

5) Am I truly interested in the eternal destiny of others or is that just the "spiritual language" that I have learned and adopted through the years of my Christian journey?

6) Do I categorize prayer as a "have to" of my Christian walk or is it a "want to" of my Christian walk?

7) Is prayer my opportunity to have a conversation with God or is it an opportunity to present my Christian wish list to God for His approval?

These and many other thoughts visit my mind from time to time. Some of these do not need to become a passing thought but they do need to become a lasting thought that leads to change in my relationship with Christ.

Have a great day and think on the things that will make a difference in your life as well as the lives of those people that you are called to influence.