Out-Serve

A group called the Worldwide Marriage Encounter has certified that Wilbur and Teresa Faiss of Las Vegas, married in April 1933, are America’s longest married couple.  As they celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary, the couple was asked the secret to a lasting union. 

What do you think it was?  Love?  Admiration?  Trust?  While all of these are essential in a relationship... they actually said: "It's very simple. It's give and take and compromise."  The Bible tells us in Romans 12:10 to “prefer one another in love.”  To put the other person first... out-serve them... and most of all, be willing to give a little ground so that both sides win.   Remember, relationships are not about being right... they’re about being honoring... and when we seek Godly unity over victory, we’re on track for a long and fulfilling time together.  

Neighbors

NEIGHBORS (Thursday's Devotional)

Others.  Our neighbors.  Those that God has placed in our path.  Life is all about them.  The Bible tells us that we are put on this earth to serve them… to love them… to forgive them.  

But the gravity of the flesh pulls us in the opposite direction doesn’t it?

We make decisions based on how it ultimately affects us.  What we wear… what we lend… what time we give… all skewed by how that decision is beneficial to our own agenda.  Why is living for others so difficult?  Does God really tell us that our whole purpose in life is to abandon self and embrace serving those around us?

Let’s take a look…

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”  Galatians 5:13

“And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Mark 10:42-45

“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.”  1 Cor. 4:1-2

“It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,”  Matthew 20:26

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ...” Philippians 2:1-30

“If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”  John 12:26

“Jesus replied, ‘The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.’”  Mark 12: 29-31


We are here with a purpose.
We all have gifts.

Our gifts are not for us.
They are to serve others.

Serving His people is what we were created to do.  Loving on the lonely... reaching out to the hurting... serving those that are seeking Christ.  

The road to our God potential leads us through the valley of selflessness... putting others first... sacrificing so that people we may not even know can come face-to-face with a Savior who sacrificed everything on their behalf.

And we get to do that.

We get to be servants.

Notice what I said there… we GET to be servants.  God allows us to care for His people.  Those you encounter today are no accident.  Even the challenging ones…  Every single person you meet today is intentional.

Serve them.  Not with selfish motives…. but with a heart filled with Christ’s love.

I can hear you saying to your computer… but Pastor… who’s loving me?  Who’s taking care of me?  If I don’t look out for myself nobody will!   I hear you.  But I also know that even when the world seems to turn its back on you, Christ doesn’t.   HE will take care of you.  HE will provide for your needs.  HE will never let you break under the strain or buckle under the weight.  HE is always there always.  Even when you don’t feel Him, sense Him, or believe He’s there.  He IS there.  He is determined to provide for and love on you.  It’s His heart.  It is why He came to begin with.  Let Him take care of you while you take care of those He has put in your path.

If you are a Christ-follower… it’s part of your calling.

Resist the urge to dismiss today’s devotional as wishful thinking.  It wasn’t written for someone else.  It’s for you.  And it’s for me.  Remember, putting ourselves behind others and serving them may be perceived by the world as weakness… but it is a strength in the eyes of Jesus.  And He’s the only one that matters.

The Gift of You

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”  Galatians 5:13

“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.”  1 Cor. 4:1-2

“It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,”  Matthew 20:26

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ...” Philippians 2:1-30

“If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”  John 12:26

“Jesus replied, ‘The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.’”  Mark 12: 29-31

We are here with a purpose.
We all have gifts.

Our gifts are not for us.
They are to serve others.

Serving His people is what we were created to do.  Loving on the lonely... reaching out to the hurting... serving those that are seeking Christ.  

The road to our God potential leads us through the valley of selflessness... putting others first... sacrificing so that people we may not even know can come face-to-face with a Savior who sacrificed everything on their behalf.

And we get to do that.

We get to be servants.

Let’s make today a time of using our God-given gifts to care for those that He brings our way.

Lives will change and God will get the glory.

Boulder

In an earlier century, there lay a large boulder in the middle of the roadway. Traveler after traveler walked past the boulder, veering off the side of the road to get around it. All the while, they were shaking their head and muttering, "Can you believe that? Someone should get that big thing out of the way. What an inconvenience!"

Finally, a man came along and, seeing the boulder, took a branch from a tree and pried the boulder enough to get it rolling and rolled it off to the side of the road. Lying underneath the rock, he found a small bag with a note. The man picked up the note and read it. It was a letter from the king and it read as follows:

"Thank you for being a true servant of the kingdom. Many have passed this way and complained because of the state of the problem and spoken of what ought to be done. But you have taken the responsibility upon yourself to serve the kingdom instead. You are the type of citizen we need more of in this kingdom. Please accept this bag of gold that traveler after traveler have walked by simply because they didn’t care enough about the kingdom to serve."

So many complain.  So few do anything.

You’ve seen it at your child’s school... in your workplace... maybe even where your bed is.  Problems as big as boulders sitting square in the middle of progress... and nobody does anything to make the necessary changes.  It’s frustrating isn’t it?  They may yell at the problem.  Gossip about the problem.  Write Facebook posts about the problem.  Talk to their spouse about the problem.  Maybe even pretend the problem isn’t there. 

Truth is... ignored problems don’t go away.  Side-stepped issues don’t solve themselves.   

We know that there is a difficult conversation that needs to be had... or a really nice person let go from a position that they simply can’t do... or a relationship issue that needs to be dealt with...Or maybe it’s something simpler...

...providing assistance to someone who no longer can help themselves.

...preparing food for the homeless in the area

...lending a shoulder to cry on 

...sharing the Good News of Christ with a hurting community (or a judgmental family)

The Bible talks specifically about the role of the Christ-follower regarding acts of service:

“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”  Acts 20:35

God doesn’t tell us to step around it... avoid it... ignore it... or dismiss it.  He tells us to dive into it.  Get our hands dirty.  Own it.  Jesus gave each one of us gifts, abilities, and talents.  The catch is... they aren’t for us.  They are for glorifying God, removing boulders, mending fences, enhancing lives, and serving those that can’t return the favor.  “Christian” isn’t a word describing those that believe... it’s a directive to be the one to act.  

Believers do - not just say... 

Move forward - not around... 

Get involved - not lost...  

God-followers are servants.  The minute we forget that, we slip from disciple to disobedient.  I want to challenge you today... if you see a problem...step in.  Get involved.  Share the love of Christ.  Serve those God puts in your path.  Help people who haven’t earned it.  Stand out and be counted as the person who always puts themselves second. And someday, when Jesus says “well done”... you can smile knowing you always put Him first.