obedience

1 Peter 1:16
16 For you are free, yet you are God’s servants, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.

Through Jesus, we live in the new creation. His grace and forgiveness make it possible for us to live free. We are free from trying to follow some rules in order to please God. However, in the new creation, the Holy Spirit working through us makes it possible for us to live in obedience to Jesus. We don’t just follow our own desires and then bank on forgiveness. That is not how it works.

Pray for more openness to the Spirit.

New Creation...an Easter Message

The resurrection of Jesus begins the new creation
What does this mean for us as his people?

outside

2 Thessalonians 2:17
Comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

When you are challenged with sadness or hardship, you serve the mission and God takes you outside of your own grief. Have you ever noticed when you are down, depressed, sad, anxious- if you begin focusing outside of yourself, the veil of grief or fear is often lifted? This is not closure; this is expansion of your world. It sure beats all the alternatives.

Where have you grieved lately? Go to God’s Word for comfort and take your grief to serving.

Master

Colossians 3:24
24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

The mission is expanding God’s Kingdom in the next generations and my Master is Jesus. I can’t go wrong. I am serving my Master serving the mission. Then to top it off, he already gives me my reward before I do anything. Being connected to him and his Kingdom.

My serving out of thanks is a byproduct of what he is already doing through me, and it shows!

How do you see Jesus working in your life? Pray about this today.

mission

Philippians 2:3
I, Paul, became a servant of this Gospel.

“What church do you serve?”
As a pastor, here is my answer:
“None. I don’t serve a church. I serve a mission. Expanding God’s Kingdom in the next generations.”

Now, I have the privilege and joy of serving the mission by leading in a local church community. But, the distinction between serving the mission and serving the church is everything.

This is the same for all Christians.
We serve a mission.

How are you serving the Gospel? Pray about this today.

work

Ephesians 6:7
Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

This text concerns slaves who have become Christian. They have secular masters because Christians didn’t have slaves (unless they were secular people who had become Christian, in which case they are advised to free their slaves, such as in Philemon). The best analogy today is simply an employee.

When you work for someone, you want to set an example of effectiveness because all areas of life are under God’s domain. When we work, is not simply for a paycheck, it is to be a blessing in society.

Pray for your “boss” at work, if you have one. If not, pray for one you know.

spending time

Ephesians 3:7
By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.

Serving is a privilege for the server. The more you serve, the more time you get to spend with the Holy Spirit, because that is where He is working. So this is special time you don’t want to miss.

Pray to open yourself to the joy of serving.

risk

2 Corinthians 6:4
In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind.

When you serve God, you don’t have to look for challenges, they will find you. The more you are serving, the more risk you are taking and the more you need to rely on God’s power rather than your own resources.

Pray for more of the Holy Spirit in your service.

on fire

1 Corinthians 16:16
I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, to submit to them and others like them who serve with such devotion.

Paul is speaking of new Christians who have become leaders. Obviously, new Christians become leaders. Younger Christians become leaders. People follow those who have influence in expanding God’s Kingdom, not position or credential. As Wesley said, “When Christians are on fire, they attract people who want to watch them burn.”

Who do you know who is on fire for Jesus and is being an influence in Kingdom expansion? Hang around with them for awhile.

true power

Romans 15:6
For by God’s grace, 16 I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit.

We are like Paul today. By the power of God we reach out to secular people so they might know the good news of Jesus and come to him, freed from sin and whatever separates them from his power.

We are not content to keep this power to ourselves. What we do has eternal significance for others.

Pray for God to connect you to someone who is seeking him.

evil and suffering and a loving God?

how can a loving God allow so much evil and suffering?

a response

IRS

Rom 13:6
This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing.

This passage should be for a month from now when taxes are due again. Paying taxes is always connected with a bit of cynicism when you connect taxes with waste or paying for some program or project you don’t agree with.

Paul’s words help here. If we think there is some waste and corruption in American government, what about the Roman Empire??!! Somehow in spite of all that is less than pure in government, God’s hand is involved.

Pray for IRS employees today.

burn

Romans 12:11
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

Because serving God can be tough, we rely on the Holy Spirit to fill us with the energy and enthusiasm to keep up with what God has in store. When we serve on human power we burn out. When we serve on Holy Spirit power we burn brighter. The difference is everything.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to fill you as you serve.

tears

Acts 20:19
I have done the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears.

I wonder if there is a job position for someone to personally deliver checks for big lottery winners. I would bet they look forward to going to work every day! The people they deal with are ecstatic.

Sometimes delivering the love of God is not so wonderful. There is sadness when you deal with people with deep loss, and there is compassion for people who don’t want God in their life. We serve anyway.

Pray for continued joy in the midst of serving.

needs and Word

Acts 6:2-3
2 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. 3 And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility.

In the early church they know that when the community is at its best, people in need are helped and the Word of God is taught. You bless the community for this life and you teach God’s Kingdom life for now and for eternity.

Pray for those who serve those in need through your church community.

friends

John 15:15
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Jesus tells his disciples what God intends for them to hear. Because they are his friends, they are a confidant with God. Those who follow the teachings the disciples passed down have this same level of understanding. So when you study God’s Word and hear it taught, you are meeting with your close friend.

Pray for your friendship with God to grow.

wealthy

16 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

The greatest is the one who serves but no servant is greater than his master. OK, so which one is it? Both. There is only one master, Jesus. By washing the disciples feet he is saying comparisons are out of the question. If Jesus does whatever it takes, so do his followers.

Whenever we think of other people we think in terms of how we might serve them. No matter who they are. No one deserves more or less service from us than Jesus is willing to give.

How might you serve the wealthiest and most influential people in your community? Think on this today.

serving him

John 12:26
My Father will honor the one who serves me.

This is an interesting formula.

Jesus serves others + we join him = we serve Jesus

I want to be with Jesus. Serve.
I want to follow Jesus. Serve.
I want to be as blessed as Jesus is blessed. Serve.
I want to please God. Serve.

How can you let your desire to be noticed when you serve slowly die in your life? Think about this today.

sign

John 9:3
3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

There are things that we do or our parents do to us that can be a real burden and haunt us for the rest of our lives unless Jesus rescues us. Other times it is not clear where suffering is from. The blind man in this story is not a victim of his own actions or his parent’s actions, or anyone else’s action. His blindness is used by Jesus to announce the Kingdom is here. This gives a whole other dimension to our suffering and the suffering of others. I don’t want it, but I know when suffering comes I pray Jesus make something out of it.

Where have you suffered most recently? Do an honest inventory about the circumstances. Think about what God might be up to in all of this.

hunger

John 1:48
I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.

Jesus is talking to Nathanael, whose name means, “gift of God.” In Jesus’ day, guys would study the Bible outdoors under the shade of a fig tree. It is where a rabbi would go and meet his students, as well. Nathanael has a hunger for the Word and he has characteristics that match his name, so it is not surprising Jesus is preparing to lead him to greater influence.

Jesus is looking at your best attributes and how he can use them and serve through you in a significant way. Think about what these qualities are today.

best

Luke 22:27
27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

Jesus turns the world completely upside down. Serving is everything. If you are a waiter or a waitress, you have to love this passage. You knew you were the greatest all along.

What Jesus is saying is if we want to be connected with him, we will be serving. That is what he is about. That is when we are closest.

When were you at your best in service? How did it feel? Think on this today.