Saved To Serve

SAVED TO SERVE

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 2:5

Have you ever met someone with an attitude problem? Perhaps they were rude with you or acted superior to others. Sadly, many church members have an attitude problem. Occasionally, you will meet church members who look down their pious nose at others. Some think that complaining is a spiritual gift and they feel compelled to share it with others. Even preachers are guilty. Some preachers are so proud that they could strut sitting down!

Of course, all of this is in sharp contrast to the Bible's plain instruction to us. As followers of Jesus, we are to emulate our Lord. As Paul wrote, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Jesus humbled Himself, came to earth as a man, and worked to serve the needs of humanity, culminating with His sacrificial death on the cross. In Matthew 20:28, Jesus Himself said, “... the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Even though He was entitled to worship, He came, instead, to serve.

Like Jesus, we have been called to serve. Being a servant is an humbling experience. We prefer for others to serve us. Yet Jesus came to serve. He did not come to earth with a chip on His shoulder, angry that He was expected to stoop down to such a degrading level. No, He came willingly. He wanted to please His Father. Certainly, mankind needed Him desperately.

As Christians, we are not called to be saviors. There has only be one Savior and His death upon the cross is certainly sufficient payment for our sins. However, we are called to serve --- in His Name.

Not far from where I live and work, there is a school called, Appalachian Bible College. Their motto is “Because life is for service.” That is certainly true. We are called to serve. We are called to serve God and others. This fulfills the two great commandments.

Jesus demonstrated His servant-hood when He washed His disciples' feet. Walking was the normal mode of travel in those days and the feet of men would naturally get dirty. It was typical that the lowest servant would fulfill the task of washing the feet of the host and guests. Jesus assumed this role when He washed His disciples' feet.

Today, there are some who think that they are “too good,” to get their hands dirty. They feel that certain tasks are beneath them and should be accomplished by “lesser men.” When we read about our Lord's service, how can we entertain such lofty thoughts about ourselves?

The people that God uses the most are those who think the least of themselves. They aren't afraid to get their hands dirty. They make themselves available for the Master's use. They prefer others over themselves. They don't seek fame or a title. Instead of advertising their own name, they serve so that the Name of Jesus will be praised.

Whether it is trivial job at the church, helping a stranded motorist, or lending a helping hand to a widow in the community, these servants work in the Name of the Lord, seeking only His pleasure. They may serve at a soup kitchen or help with home repairs for the poor. They visit the sick, show compassion to the grieving and celebrate the success of others. They give of their time, talent and treasures to help others. Their acts of benevolence are often done in secret, far from the public spotlight. The Lord sees it and that is good enough for a servant of God.

God has called us to be such servants. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” We have been ordained to good works. We have been saved to serve.

I can't help but think that most Christians need an attitude adjustment. Rather than acting like our selfish society, we need to serve like our Lord. Our stewardship will one day be judged by our Lord. I want to hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

What about you?

The Ripple Effect

 THE RIPPLE EFFECT

“When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.” - 2 Timothy 1:5

Did you ever throw a rock into a lake? If so, you probably enjoyed the splash the stone made upon impact. More than likely, you also noticed the waves produced by the splash. The ripples traveled far from the point of impact.

When God uses a person, there can be a great impact made through his or her life. Yet the ripples of that impact can change lives for generations to come.

We tend to overestimate what we can do by ourselves. At the same time, we also vastly underestimate what God can do through our lives. When we humble ourselves, surrender to Him and seek to praise Him, God may do mind-boggling things in and through our lives.

The ripple effect simply is this: God uses you to influence another. That person influences others who, in turn, influence others. God uses the initial impact of a Christian's influence to produce a ripple effect that may impact thousands of lives over many generations.

Consider the young preacher, Timothy. His grandmother, Lois, probably influenced his mother, Eunice. Together, along with the Apostle Paul, they influenced Timothy. Timothy became a pastor. God used Timothy to influence many. In fact, Paul's two letters to Timothy are part of the canon of Scripture.

Sometime back, I came across another story that illustrates the ripple effect. Edward Kimball lived in the 1800's. Mr. Kimball was not a preacher, yet God used him. Mr. Kimball had a burden for a young shoe salesman. He visited this young man and led him to Jesus Christ. The young man was Dwight Moody. That's a great story, but it does end there.

Dwight Moody would become the greatest evangelist in the nineteenth century. Thousands of people professed faith in Christ in response to Moody's preaching. Mr. Moody became famous. He went to England and preached at F. B. Meyer's huge church. Meyer was influenced by the American evangelist and turned to mass evangelism, just like Moody.

Meyer eventually came to America and held evangelistic meetings. At one of these meetings, Wilbur Chapman was convicted by the message and was transformed by the Gospel.

Chapman became an evangelist and sought someone to help him in his ministry. He met Billy Sunday, a former professional baseball player who had been converted. As Chapman got older, he turned his work over to Billy Sunday. Billy Sunday became a powerful evangelist.

In 1924, Billy Sunday preached a city-wide crusade in Charlotte, North Carolina. Out of that revival meeting a group of men formed a men’s prayer group to pray for the world. They prayed for Charlotte to have another great revival. God answered their prayers.

God sent another evangelist named Mordecai Hamm. Hamm went to Charlotte in 1934 to hold a crusade. Under the big tent a young man was converted. His name was Billy Graham. Billy Graham would become the greatest evangelist of our generation. It is believed that no one in the history of the world has preached the Gospel to more people than Billy Graham. Many people today can testify that a Billy Graham crusade or sermon brought them to Jesus. Even though he has passed on to glory, the influence of Billy Graham's ministry continues to this very day.

Go back over the history I just shared. It began with Edward Kimball. God used him to led Moody to Christ … and from that impact, a great ripple effect still continues today.

When you tell someone about the Lord, you never know the full impact of your witness. You never know how God may use your influence to impact others. The ripple effect of your faithfulness may impact generations to come. So remain faithful.

In glory, we may be pleasantly surprised how God used our feeble efforts in a ripple effect to transform many lives.

To God be all the glory!

The Mirror Principle

THE MIRROR PRINCIPLE

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” - James 1:22-24

My mirror is rather cruel. It reveals the truth, whether I like it or not. I tend to think of myself as being young, handsome and thin. The mirror shows me otherwise.

The temptation is to see the flaws in others while overlooking my own. The mirror reminds of the painful truth that I have many flaws myself.

I believe my purpose in life is to walk with God and be used of Him to make a positive impact in the lives of others. Making a difference is a lofty goal, but there are some practical principles we need to understand. Last week, we learned that only God can make an eternal impact in the lives of people. Here's another principle we need to understand. I call it the mirror principle. Here's the lesson: before God can use me to make a difference, He often works first to make a difference in the person I see in the mirror.

I look in the mirror every day, what about you? When I look in the mirror, I often see things I would never know about. If there is a speck of dirt on my face, I probably wouldn't know about it if I didn't see it in the mirror. Of course, everyone around me would know about it.

Spiritually, the Bible is a mirror for the soul. When we read the Word, it reveals matters of the heart. The mirror of God's Word shows us how we really are instead of how we wish to be seen.

In John 17:17, the Bible says, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” The word, “sanctify,” means, “to be set apart.” At conversion, we were set apart as God's people. Practically, we are being set apart day by day with the Word of God. God uses the mirror of His Word to show us what He sees. He sees us more thoroughly than we see ourselves.

God's sanctifying work includes radical change. He changes our character, our conduct and our conversations. Sanctification is the process by which we are molded to be more and more like Jesus.

No, the mirror doesn't show me what I want to see, but it does show me what I need to see. I need to see the truth. I need to see reality.

David once prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” If you pray like this, be prepared for radical change.

God is serious about our sanctification and we should be, too. He is not interested in the person I intend to be or pretend to be. He is focused on sanctifying the person I see in the mirror every day.

Yes, it is easier to spot sin in the lives of others, but it is our sins that need attention. The first step in impacting the lives of others comes as they see our lives impacted by a work of grace. God uses us to make a difference when He makes a difference in us first. That is the mirror principle.

What do you see in the mirror?

The Power Source

THE POWER SOURCE

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” - Matthew 28:18

Do you want your life to make a difference? Do you long for God to use you to positively impact the lives of others around you? This seems to be a lofty goal, but often the mundane events of life seem to bog us down, don't they? What we fail to realize is that often these routine activities are among the ways we make the greatest difference.

As we consider the subject of making a difference, we must consider some basic principles laid out for us in the Scriptures. Today we are going to focus on the most important principle of all: the power source.

A few days ago, I wanted to quickly print a few pages. But when I pressed the “print” button from within my software, my printer did not respond. I don't use my printer very often at home, but when I do, it tends to be very reliable. This time it wasn't. Ultimately, I found that the power adapter had gradually worked itself loose from the receptacle. Without electric power, the best printer will remain useless.

The same is true of our lives. We must have energy to accomplish our daily tasks. We need to have inner strength, as well as physical strength to get through tough days. We need the power of God.

Just like my printer, neglect can cause us to gradually lose power. It isn't because God has a power crisis. Instead, we tend to take God for granted. We are very presumptuous. Spiritual neglect is a dangerous condition.

In physics, power is defined as “the ability to do work.” We know that definition is spiritually applicable for believers. Yet here is the important lesson we need to learn: IT IS WHAT GOD DOES IN US AND THROUGH US THAT MAKES AN ETERNAL DIFFERENCE. Although God may use my gifts, talents and skills, it is His power that makes a life-changing difference.

You see, an unbeliever can serve at a soup kitchen. A lost man can give blood. A sinner can volunteer to work in community projects. But it takes a Spirit-filled man to be used to make an eternal difference. When a person gets saved, the Lord comes to abide in His life. We need His working power operating in our lives. Apart from the Lord, our efforts are in vain.

Jesus said, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Notice that He has ALL power. The power we need is available in Christ. Yet, He will not be manipulated. We don't “use” God to get the results we desire. When we abide in Christ, we bear God-honoring fruit. Our job is to abide. It is His job to produce fruit in our lives.

Sadly, many believers neglect their time with God each day. Slowly over time, they experience spiritual brown-out. Electrical brown-out occurs when something interferes with the electrical line, causing the voltage to drop below tolerance. Electrical brown-out causes the household lighting to get dim --- and remain that way until the problem is solved. Spiritually, many suffer from brown-out. I've known of people who were once zealous for the Lord. God was using them. Yet today they are living powerless lives. Once the light within was powerfully visible. Now it is extremely dim. Repentance of sin and neglect can rid us of spiritual brown-out.

Another mistake that believers make is to take credit for what God does. If God uses you to make a positive difference, give Him all the credit. Make sure He gets the glory. Instead, many let success go to their heads. They, too, quickly experience spiritual brown-out. God will not share His glory with others.

It is not our job to create power. It isn't our job to manipulate power. Instead, it is our job to abide in Christ and obey Him. When we abide in Christ, His power is at work in us.

To be brutally honest, we need the Lord in every aspect of our lives. We are dependent on Him for our next breath. We can't abide in Him or obey Him without His help. Jesus said, “Without me, you can do nothing.” Without Him, we are powerless.

Nothing causes darkness to flee like the presence of light. Rather than cursing the darkness, we are to be the light of the world. Let your light shine today. By God's grace and by His power, may your light shine brighter than ever!