09/04/2017
John 12:26 “If anyone serves Me,
let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone
serves me, My father will honor.”
In the previous
verses, Jesus begins to tell the disciples that His time had come to depart to
the Father. In verse 24, Jesus states, “unless a grain of wheat falls into the
ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”
Jesus is referring to His death and resurrection; His death would result in the
salvation of many. By choosing to follow Jesus, we take on His death as well.
We are to lose our lives in service in order that we may be witnesses for Him. When
we serve others in the name of Jesus, we actually serve the Lord and God takes
delight in that. Before coming here, I got involved with my church and we would
serve in the community every other Saturday. We would be out by 8am and would
spend the majority of our day doing the particular project for the day. I
remember one Saturday being invited to hangout with friends and having to
choose between the two options. Sure, it would’ve been nice to hangout with my
friends, but the Lord spoke to me in that moment. Sometimes we’re called to put
to death our flesh and desires in order that we may reach the unreached.
Although it was hard, I chose to do the outreach knowing that the Lord delights
in our sacrifices done in obedience.
Application: Today I will do one
nice thing for someone.
Luke 17:7-10 “And which of you,
having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in
from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? But will he not rather say
to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I
have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank that
servant because he did the things that were commanded him? Think not. So
likewise you, when you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We
have done what was our duty to do.’”
Apart from this
week’s theme being servant, the Lord has really been speaking to me about
sacrifice and being a servant. Growing up, or even before coming here, I never
did things as unto the Lord. My mom would always ask me to wash the dishes or
clean my room, and I would always put up a fight before ever doing so. Through
KP, servant time, and simply serving one another here, my heart has grown for
service. I think once we realize we do all things unto the Lord, these tasks
instantly become significantly easier. Every ounce of my being wants to sit in
regret for being a lazy and selfish daughter, but I know that the Lord had to
work on my heart before I could ever serve freely. When I go home for my ten
days, it is my desire to continue to serve and through that be a witness to my
family. The Lord can truly change a heart and change others through our new
hearts.
Application: On my
wifi time I will apologize to my mom for always putting up a fight when asked
to do chores.
Matthew 20:26-28 “Yet it shall not
be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your
servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave- just
as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life a
ransom for many.”
In this passage
Jesus is explaining to the disciples the difference between worldly leaders and
believers. Believers lead by being servants and giving up their rights, just as
Jesus did. Worldly leader use their power and authority to dominate over those
they are supposed to lead. Jesus came to earth not to be served but to serve
others and to give His life as a ransom for many. I looked up the word ransom,
which is a price paid to redeem a slave or a prisoner. The price that was paid
was the blood of Jesus, offered to God as the means of satisfying His justice
and wrath against sin. As I’m thinking about some of the greatest
servant-hearted people I know, I can easily say my mom triumphs over them all.
She is a single mom of ten and spent her whole life fighting for and serving
each and every one of us. This woman never slept, always worked, and made sure
our stomachs were filled. All the while I rebelled, was lazy, and made her buy
and do unnecessary things for me. There are very few times where she has
actually complained about anything. 1 Peter 5:3 says, “God resists the proud
but gives grace to the humble.” She has always walked in humility and has
always had a heart to serve. Even when she couldn’t have for herself, she made
sure to give to those who had nothing.
Application: Today
I will ask someone if I can take their spot for KP for the day.
John 15:15 “No longer do I call you
servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have
called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made
known to you.”
Growing up, I
always thought God was distant and too busy for me. Once I came to a true
relationship with Jesus, I saw that Jesus desired relationship with me and
called me friend. I think of in the Old Testament how Abraham was called the
“friend of God.” He was called so because of his relationship with God and his
ability to speak with God. As believers, we have access to the Father through
Jesus. Jesus laid down His life in order that we may be His friends and no
longer be called servants. We have knowledge and understanding of God and His
heart through the Word and through the Holy Spirit. Through our relationship
with the Lord, we are able to serve and live a life that mimics the life of
Christ. Not that we no longer serve others because we are friends of Jesus, but
we serve because that is exactly what Christ came to do. I always desired to be
in relationship with God, but I never wanted to do the things He called me to
do. By serving one another, we gain a deeper understanding of the Father’s
heart as we grow in community with one another.
Application: Tomorrow morning I
will make my roommate’s bed.
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