Mark 10:42-45 (NKJV) But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
It's sad, but true. Some mistakenly believe that the 'ministry' is a place of arrival, a destination. So their lives are set in serving the Lord in order to attain a position; a title; a place of authority that once attained, serving stops. It's not true.
If you want to be great in God's Kingdom, you must be the servant of all. There is no other way to grow in the grace of Jesus. Jesus' style and ministry example has always been, and will always be, the example of a servant. He's taught us that the way up is down! We are all servants of Jesus, gladly living out our lives with the spiritual giftings He's entrusted to us. We not only want to serve one another in love, but we want to reach a lost and dying world!
It's hard to be offended when your heart is to serve. It's difficult to have a hardened heart when we are serving. It's hard for the enemy to get a foothold in a home, a church, or a ministry filled with servants!
Let's pray about developing even greater servant's hearts, following in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior!
Learning To Serve,
Pastor Ed
Response
Thanking God for moving so powerfully in and through you and Calvary Chapel. As you spoke this morning about our families whom God loves, and so much more than we ever could, I remembered my sister and her husband who I have been praying for, for many years. I also remembered there have been times I've been tempted to anger and giving up in prayer. Nevertheless, the Lord is so gracious, in giving us the strength to keep on praying and continue walking by faith and not by sight. I am beginning to see God working in their hearts through a breaking process from the "perfect world" filled with wealth etc., they thought they were living in without Jesus. Thank you for speaking God's truth to us, and encouraging us to continue in prayer for His precious ones. God is still the author and finisher of our faith until the day of Christ Jesus and His word will not come back void.
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