"Fear the Lord and serve Him." --Deuteronomy 10:20
Mythunderstandings about serving.
1. To serve means to volunteer. Not so.
2. To serve is a type of physical labor. Never too old nor incapacitated to serve. Prayer, e.g.
3. To serve means short-term mission trips. Often the "missionary" is served more than others.
4. To serve means random acts of kindness. Even non-Christians practice this. Everyone should be kind.
These are all things we can do to make us feel better about ourselves. True service implies self-denial.
Service is a two-sided coin. It is a passion for God and true compassion for others.
Are you worshiping God with your best or with your least? See. Genesis 3: Abel and Cain.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. --Romans 12:1
Ask yourself
1. What am I willing to sacrifice in order to serve God better?
2. What consumes my passions and energy?
3. How would I describe my offering of worship?
4. Do I work hard to serve my own agenda or the needs of others?
5. Am I serving God by offering my best?
Pastor spoke of the Last Supper, of Jesus service by washing the feet of the disciples and many other pertinent things. The best laugh was evoked by the question, "Would you make a reservation for 26 so that your entire party can sit on one side of the table?"
Pastor Johnnie Blair
Sunday morning
2 comments:
One of the poverties of the modern church is how it can reduce service to volunteer opportunities. It says, in effect, that you get to live the rest of your life as you see fit, but occasionally you need to volunteer.
At the same time, this life does not call all of us to a life completely given to the church. We are not all monks or priests or preachers. We may well be called to a life as a teacher or as a software developer.
The challenge then is to figure out how to make your life be about service even though you are called to a secular vocation. I'm still working that out for myself.
Jim, it is clear to me that serving the Lord can and must take many pathways, for we are all "called" to different ministries, different stations in life. Christians, as Jesus indicated in his Sermon on the Mount, must be salt and light to the secular world. Have to be among them to minister to them!
As always, I appreciate your commentary. Sometimes offers a different perspective, or a needed expansion on the presentation!
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