Serving God Despite The Opposition

God's people will have opposition from many different sources.

Exodus 4:31 Then the people of Israel were convinced that the LORD had sent Moses and Aaron. When they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

Exodus 5:3-5 But Aaron and Moses persisted. “The God of the Hebrews has met with us,” they declared. “So let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness so we can offer sacrifices to the LORD our God. If we don’t, he will kill us with a plague or with the sword.” 

4 Pharaoh replied, “Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their tasks? Get back to work! 5 Look, there are many of your people in the land, and you are stopping them from their work.”

We found out in my previous post that the unqualified get called by God into ministry that is way over their head. We learned through Moses that a lack of skill or specialized training seems to be what God is looking for in the people that serve him.

It must have been a great relief to Moses when he returned to Egypt and the people of Israel were convinced that he is on a mission from God to help his people. They seem to be thrilled that out of nowhere, after God's promise seems to be on the edge of failure, God finally sends a rescuer to put an end to their suffering in Egypt.

Wouldn't it be great if ministry was always this easy? Isn't it a beautiful thing when God sends a leader, the leader goes to God's people and the people agree to their leadership and their program that the leader wants to implement. So far their isn't any opposition and all is well but Moses hasn't been to see Pharaoh yet.

Suddenly the Israelites situation has gone from bad to worse, Pharaoh decided that he had been too easy on the Israelites by providing them with the materials that they needed to make bricks, so for now on they had to produce the same quota of bricks without any help getting the material they needed to make them.

Exodus 4:21  And the LORD told Moses, “When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go.

The blame game started up immediately despite the fact that they were so sure of God's plans and God already told they wouldn't be released and allowed to go until God steps in and forces Pharaoh to let them go.

God's people don't like opposition and they are quick to let their God appointed leaders know about it. It is a shame that God's people treat their leaders this way but it may be worse that the leaders run back to God and complain to him when God already warned them there would be opposition to his work.

Exodus 5:22-23 Then Moses went back to the LORD and protested, "Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Why did you send me? 23 Ever since I came to Pharaoh as your spokesman, he has been even more brutal to your people. And you have done nothing to rescue them!"

We should expect that difficult days are going to come our way when we are serving God. When we are God's friend and we are being used in ministry then we are an enemy to Satan and he will start working overtime to oppose us.

Satan is already actively opposing God's plan to bring the Messiah to the world to redeem his people. The chances of the Lion of the tribe of Judah surviving all of the opposition to God's purpose and his people are extremely small but that's just how God works.

God allows his promises to come to the edge of failure for a purpose, God's people have to wait until there isn't any human ability to accomplish God's promises so that God is the only one that can get credit for making them happen. God knows that we will try to steal his glory if there is any way to explain away his miracles.

When God's people are doing what he ask them to do they should expect opposition from the world and also from God's other children that don't understand how he is working. We know that the world has a great reason to oppose you but Satan will convince some of your church friends to also go against you.

Serving God requires that we remember:

• How strong and how desperate our enemy is.
• The helpless, desperate condition of the people that you are serving.
• Your own weakness and inability for the task.

We must rely on God's strength and his timing in order to accomplish his work.

I Am A Slave

We like being God's friend but the truth is his friends are also his slaves.

 

John 15:12-17, 20  This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.

20 A slave is not greater than the master

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I remember as a kid that someone would come to me and ask me to do something for them and even though I didn't want to do it there was an incentive being offered that would make me consider doing it. You have heard the line "I will be your best friend forever." This is the best offer that a kid can think of when he is trying to get his way.

We teach our kids that we shouldn't treat people that way, we like to base our friend relationships on equality and "give and take" but that doesn't work on God. Jesus told his disciples that if they obey all of his commands and do everything that he tells them to do then he will be their friend.

This sounds harsh or bizarre but that is what it all comes down to. Jesus says that the greatest display of love is for someone to die for his friend and you are my friend if you obey my commands. I know that if I do everything he tells me to do then that makes him Lord and it makes me his slave.

We do not like the term and we try to stay away from the idea of being a slave but the Bible is clear. Nobody in the Bible call themselves God's friend or Jesus friend, the Bible refers to both Abraham and Moses as friends of God and Jesus calls the disciples His friends but none of these people ever said that about themselves.

The apostles call themselves God's slave

Romans 1:1 / 1 Corinthians 9:19 / Titus 1:1 / James 1:1 / 2 Peter 1:1 / Jude 1:1

We love Romans 5:12 where Paul says that we are "friends of God" but we like to look over the fact that he says we became friends through "our Lord Jesus." Our thoughts should be that "Jesus is Lord and I am his slave."

Matthew 7:21  "Not everyone who calls out to Me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter. Luke 6:46  "So why do you keep calling Me 'Lord, Lord!' when you don't do what I say? Luke 9:23-24 “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself.” Luke 17:9-10  And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey Me you should say, 'We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.'"

The New Testament refers to Jesus as Lord more than five hundred times yet we refuse to actually see him and treat him that way. We call him Lord but we live with our own agenda, we obey our desires instead of his commands, we fail to let him be in charge.

Church leaders like to refer to the people that take on job duties around the church as volunteers but the truth is we are slaves and that should be the deciding factor in whether we fill a position. We like to signup if it is convenient but that isn't the lifestyle of a slave. How many "volunteers" would sign up on a list that refers to them as slaves?

Who Is In Control

Romans 6:16-18  Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.  17  Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you.  18  Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

If being a slave is offensive to you then the Bible has some bad news for you. The most important person in my life became a slave so why should I think that I should have it any better than he did? (Philippians 2:5-7) Jesus says that you should deny yourself daily, take up your cross and follow him wherever he leads. (Luke 9:23-25)

I tried a Google search on "who is in control of your life" and found that none of the search results mentioned the Bible. There are a lot of people trying to get control but the Bible tells me that I have to give up control. Scripture tells us that we are all slaves to something, we are all under the control of someone, the only thing that your free will gets to decide is who your master is going to be. (2 Peter 2:19, Matthew 6:24)

This slave has been bought at a high price, I am cared for, protected, rewarded, and loved but I am still a slave. I am not really free as a follower of Jesus, my morality, my attitudes and my convictions are all decided by him.

The way that I spend my money, my time and my talents should bring glory to my Lord and Master. My goal is to hear Jesus say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant!"

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How Is Your Serve?

Jesus condescended the most because he loves us the most.

 

John 13:3-6  Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything and that He had come from God and would return to God.  4  So He got up from the table, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist,  5  and poured water into a basin. Then He began to wash the disciples' feet, drying them with the towel He had around Him.  6  When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to Him, "Lord, are You going to wash my feet?"

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This is Jesus last Passover celebration, his Last Supper with his disciples, Jesus knew God's timetable and that his final hour was drawing near. You and I would be very self-centered in this situation, just like the disciples were as they sat at the table with Jesus but instead of worrying about himself he is concerned with the men that he would leave behind and the strength of their faith.

On many occasions Jesus was asked who he is, where he came from and why he thought that he had the authority to scold the Pharisees. John tells us that Jesus knew that he came from God, he would return to God and he knew that God had given him the authority to do God stuff. Yet he did things that we wouldn't expect God to do.

It is difficult to imagine that Jesus had authority over absolutely everything, we can't even comprehend what that means, when we say that somebody has authority over something we know in our heads that the authority covers certain boundaries. A school teacher has authority in certain areas that we can clearly define but Jesus rules over things that we don't even know about.

Should the ruler over absolutely everything be my servant?

"No," Peter protested, "You will never ever wash my feet!"

Jesus stepped down from the highest position and humbled himself, he made the greatest leap in condescension, we will probably never understand why he loves us so much that he would make this giant step from greatness to the lowliest servant.

Only humble people love, and your capacity to love is directly related to your capacity to humble yourself. The less interested you are in yourself, the greater your capacity to invest yourself in somebody else. The lower you go in self-concern, the higher you go in concern for others. -John MacArthur

I have never considered the connection between loving and being humble. Jesus willingness to be so humble and come down so low from his superior position in heaven is incredible. That level of selflessness is far superior to the love that we have that is self serving and seeks to gain something in return.

Shouldn't Jesus announce that I am his greatest follower?

Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank. 

These guys were so busy arguing about their rank and how well they were doing at following the Rabbi that they missed one of the most important qualities of a Christ follower. Think about this, the hands that control the universe, including all the angelic host, humbly washed the dirty feet of twelve undeserving apostles! And that includes the feet of the betrayer!

Unworthy Servants

Luke 17:7-10  "When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, 'Come in and eat with me'? No, he says, 'Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.' And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey Me you should say, 'We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.'"

I am an unworthy servant that has a hard time thinking of myself as I should, my level of gratitude for what God has done for me is severely lacking because of my perception of who I am and what level of despair I was in without my Savior doesn't really sink into my head. Pride gets in the way of seeing myself the way that God sees me.

If I could wrap my head around the idea of how depraved I am then my level of gratitude would be increased along with my ability to love and serve the hurting world around me the way that Jesus did.

Help me Lord to see myself through your eyes for who I really am so I can fully appreciate what you have done for me.

Equality In The Body

We are all the same in the body of Christ.

2 Peter 1:1-2  This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.  2  May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.

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Despite what the Catholic church says about Peter and the glory and praise that they have erroneously given to him, Peter refers to himself as a slave and an apostle.

Faith is a gift from God and the gift has been given to us the same as it was given to the first disciples. Since we are all slaves without Christ we are all the same before him and none of us deserves to be treated differently.

The apostle Peter is a servant and so am I, it is amazing that the believers in the New Testament are seen as filthy rags, servants without any status or rights and "Saint" Peter never had the attitude that he was any different than the other believers.

The Roman Catholic Church still holds to the lies of Papal headship and Papal infallibility. Their lies state that: "The Pope possesses full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the whole Church and not merely in matters of faith and morals but also in Church discipline and in the government of the Church."

Christ is the head of the church and everyone of us is not worthy to have anyone look at us as having any authority or power. The levels of power and authority that the Catholic church tries to tell us that the chain of command from the Pope all the way down to the local priest is wrong. (Ephesians 1:19-23, Colossians 1:18, 2:10)

Mark 10:43-45  But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.

A slave is subordinate, his service to his master is out of obligation, he has to serve he has no concern about the cost of serving or the inconvenience. It is too bad that the church is so full of volunteers today. The volunteer gets to decide if the time is right or if they like the job that they are being asked to do. If it is convenient then they will signup.

I am just a slave for Jesus, I need to remember that I am not any better than the next guy, we are all nothing without Jesus. I need to be ready to serve without reservation or excessive rules about when, where or how.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him. (1 Timothy 1:12) Thank you Lord for loving me despite who I am. What an incredible privilege to loose my bondage to sin and become your servant.

Serving Your Master

You have to choose because you cannot be a slave with two masters.

John 8:34-36  Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.  35  A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever.  36  So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

Matthew 6:24  "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Deuteronomy 13:4 Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him.

The news is filled with stories of war everyday, they are evidence of the spiritual battle that we cannot see, the battle wages on in the physical and spiritual realm. You may not like to think about it but there is a relentless force for evil that will stop at nothing to get you to choose any of his options over the single best choice.

Our loyalty to God is constantly being challenged just as it was for Adam and Eve back in the Garden of Eden. Satan is always questioning God's right to have our praise and worship. He wants to be God and he will stop at nothing to have us treat him that way. Satan knows that we were made to worship and that we will serve something or somebody so he is always looking to take advantage of this God given trait.

There is a lot at stake and we need to keep in mind some important advice:

Remember That God Won't Share 

1 Corinthians 8:6, Exodus 20:3-6, Deuteronomy 6:14-16

Over and over again God told the Israelite's that they needed to make a decision. They could choose from a long list of gods, they could choose to serve themselves, or they could choose the real God. God made it clear that he will not share what belongs to him with anything else.

Don't Serve The Things The World Serves 

Luke 16:13, James 4:4, 1 John 2:15-16

There is one true God and since is the only one that means there is nobody like him. Therefore he alone is to be worshiped and served. If you truly love God then you will have an unfavorable opinion of the world and it's philosophy.

Don't Value The Things The World Values

Matthew 6:19, 6:33, Luke 12:20-21

Jesus cautioned us to crave or value the right things. The world finds pleasure in craving what they can see, the toys that they have, pride in their accomplishments at work or school, all of the things that are temporary.

We love to seek our own kingdom, to stress how good we are and build up our treasure, we burden ourselves with the pursuit of the temporary. Seeking God's kingdom means that I must set aside my own kingdom and declare my allegiance with the eternal kingdo

Who You Serve Is Who You Trust
Romans 6:16, 18  Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

Do you serve yourself? Do you serve money? If you think about it, whatever it is that you serve, that is the thing that you are putting your trust in. Why would you serve something you don't trust? If you feel secure enough to trust in something then it is reasonable to assume that you will probably serve that thing.

In our previous post we saw that Jesus called us all slaves, we are all serving something or someone, Jesus made it clear that a slave is usually a slave until the day they die. Because we are “in Christ” (Romans 6:11; 8:1), and He died in our place (Romans 5:6-8), we are counted dead with Him. I have become a slave to righteous living!

It is clear that I cannot serve both God and mammon, I cannot serve the god's that the rest of the world serves, they all want my full attention and my allegiance. I must choose everyday who I will serve, I must choose to serve the Lord wholeheartedly.(Joshua 24:14)

Christian vs Christian

You shouldn't have to wear boxing gloves to church.

Romans 14:4, 10-13  Who are you to condemn someone else's servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.

10 So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer?

Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.  11  For the Scriptures say, "'As surely as I live,' says the LORD, 'every knee will bend to Me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God. '"  12  Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.  13  So let's stop condemning each other.

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Every organization has it's share of division and strife among the people that are in the group. Whether it is in the military, a social group or a workplace, there is going to be conflict.

That shouldn't be true of the church but unfortunately it is not any better inside the body of Christ. There have always been divisions and fighting despite the fact that Jesus prayed for us to get along with each other and serve each other and to be united together just the same as he is united with God the Father. (John 17:21)

I have never slowed down and allowed this verse to sink in. It is stuck in the middle of a bunch of verses about whether the Gentile believers should stick to the dietary restrictions that the Jews observed under the law. The verse is Romans 14:4 "Who are you to condemn someone else's servants?"

The first thought that came to mind is that I am a servant of God. I am just a slave, I do not have any rights, my life has been redeemed by Jesus and therefore it belongs to him. Since he has purchased me he has all rights to me and my life should be spent making sure that I am pleasing my master.

Second thought that comes to mind is that I am surrounded by other servants of God that he has also redeemed and none of those other servants around me are answerable to me. I don't have any rights and I don't have any authority. As a fellow slave, I have no power or any right to have another slave give an account for his actions.

What if the other servants are doing what God has told them to do? Why am I putting them down? So what if they are not pleasing me when it comes to stuff that isn't an essential part of the gospel. There is one Lord, one Holy Spirit and one God and I am not any of them.

James 4:12  God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?

Jesus had the right to walk around this planet and point his finger at everybody that he saw that was wrong and condemn all of them but instead the main characteristic of his life was love. It was love that drew people to him. Without love the gospel doesn't have any power and instead of drawing people in to Jesus we will drive them away.

Help me Lord to be less like the devil with his judging personality and help me to grow more like my loving redeemer.

Serving God Is Serious Business

Who will you serve? It's time to choose.

Joshua 24:14-15  "So fear the LORD and serve Him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD alone.  But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD."

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We all like choices, just about nobody likes to be forced to do something, it helps us to be content if we are given some options to choose from. God gives his people the right to choose, we are never pushed into anything we don't want to do, sometimes we make a conscious decision for him and sometimes it is a choice made out of neglect, the result of not making a conscious decision.

God lets us decide who we will serve, will we serve him or will we live for ourselves? We look at the people of the Bible and see the big picture of their lives and it can be difficult to realize that following God was a daily decision, they had to choose to live for God moment by moment. Just like us, they had plenty of other options, there were plenty of gods to choose from.

Beware of neglect, we need to realize that if we do not make a conscious decision to serve God then we will probably realize someday that we are serving ourselves. That's because our old sin nature will naturally pull us away from God and what his will is for our lives.

Serving God can be an inconvenience, it can be costly and lonely but serving God is a requirement for those that want to please God. Serving God will require you to use your time and talents for him and yes it will require you to pull out your wallet and dig around and use your money for his work.

Malachi 3:17-18 “They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

What an awesome decision that we have to make, and with great consequences, God says that there is a close relationship between serving him and being righteous. God is pleased with his people when they are obedient, he calls them his "special treasure," helping your neighbor, taking care of the sick, going on a mission trip, are just a few ways to please God, there are so many needs around us that we can meet.

"For Christians, service is not something to be tacked onto our schedules if we can spare the time. It is the heart of the Christian life. Jesus came 'to serve' and 'to give'—and those two verbs should define your life on earth, too." - Rick Warren

I cannot serve two masters, as it says in Matthew 6:24, I have to make a conscious decision to serve the Lord with my time, talents and treasure. I need to be about my Father's business.

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Serving? Don't Be Shy!

God's people are encouraged to serve boldly.

Luke 1:74-75  We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear,  75  in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live.

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The story of the birth of John the Baptist is very familiar to most people that have heard the Christmas story but we are probably not so familiar with Zachariah's prophecies that immediately follow, one prophecy about his son John and the other prophecy about the coming Messiah. (Luke 1:67-80)

Zachariah's prophecy predicted that the Messiah is coming to rescue us from our enemies. We may have a lot of enemies but without the work of the Messiah my number one enemy is death, it is Satan's favorite tool, but we know that Jesus came to destroy the power of death in the lives of his children. (Hebrews 2:14-15)

Zachariah's prophecy goes on to say the reason that we were saved from our enemies is so that we can serve God without fear. Unlike the priest that served with fear in the most holy part of the temple while the people were outside anxiously waiting to see if he would come out alive. We can serve God without fear because Satan's power has been defeated and because our relationship with God has been restored so that we are holy and righteous.

We have power from the Holy Spirit.

Acts 4:29-31 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.

The early church was being threatened by various groups, the government wasn't friendly to them and the people that were still holding onto Judaism felt that the Christ followers were blasphemers and they felt that they deserved to be stoned.

With all of this against them trying to stop them you would think that the early church would be praying for safety but instead they are asking God to make them even bolder than they already were. Their boldness was the source of their trouble but instead of hunkering down they kept praying for more boldness.

Use your gifts boldly.

2 Timothy 1:6-8  This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.  7  For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.  8  So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don't be ashamed of me, either, even though I'm in prison for Him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.

Our spiritual gifts need to be developed so that you will get better at using it. Paul tells us to take that little spark and "fan into flames" and make it grow into a powerful force so that we can go out boldly and serve God without fear or embarrassment even if it means suffering. Instead of the spirit of fear we have been given a spirit of power, love and self-discipline.

God may want to use my spiritual gifts but he may want to use my weaknesses, the very thing that I feel like I cannot do may be the thing that he wants me to do, I need to be willing to be used by God and boldly allow him to use me in any way that he wants.

We can only serve one master, the choice is ours to make, will you serve yourself and miss the blessings of serving God? (John 12:25-26, 13:13-17)

God doesn't use dirty instruments, are you a clean instrument that he can use? (2 Timothy 2:20-21)

Will you love God and serve him with all your heart and soul or will you hold back? (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

Slackers For Christ

You know Jesus left us some work to do.

 Mark 13:34-37  "The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves' instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return.

35 You, too, must keep watch! For you don't know when the master of the household will return--in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. 36 Don't let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. 37 I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!"

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

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Do you remember your parents giving you a "to do" list and then leaving the house for a while? Was the list carefully completed, or was it ignored? Sometimes I had to run around the house doing stuff in an attempt to make it look like I had really tried to do it diligently.

Jesus tells his disciples that he is going away and while he is away they have work to do for him. It seems that a lot of disciples these days have forgotten that there is work to do. He has given us instructions for some jobs that he wants us to complete while he is away, there isn't any time for being a slacker for Christ.

Back in the New Testament Church, everybody was doing the work but it didn't take very long for the church to create a separation between professional Christ followers and the rest of the congregation that had to go to secular jobs. We have adopted the mindset that the ministers are the guys that get paid to be in business for God and they need to get things done that we should be doing.

Every one of us are ministers, the master delegated work for everyone of his slaves, there is work to be done that isn't being completed because somebody is ignoring the work that they think isn't their responsibility.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church that they need to be excited about their work, I need to always work on today's task and be ready for a new assignment enthusiastically, I cannot sit around glowing in the spotlight of the last thing that I did for Jesus. Are you excited about ministry opportunities? Are you always looking for a new assignment or are you looking forward to an extended time off?

Be Happy Working For Jesus

1 Corinthians 15:58  So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

I need to be careful that I don't get discouraged, Paul told the Corinthians that they need to "be strong and immovable" the discouragement will come my way, that is one of Satan's schemes that I need to be ready for. Satan doesn't want you to work for Jesus so he will discourage you. When I feel like having a pity party I need to remember that "nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless."

Help me Lord to be excited about every opportunity to be a part of your plans, you are an awesome, huge God but you still desire to use little ol' me to accomplish your plans.

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Learn How To Serve Like The Master

A series on Jesus final teachings before his betrayal.

John 13:1-5 Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end.

2 It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

John 13:12-17 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each others feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16 I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. 17 Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.

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Jesus entire life was an example of what love looks like, in today's scripture he has a limited time to teach his disciples before his death. Jesus uses this opportunity to teach his disciples to show them love in a very tangible way, once again showing them the kind of lifestyle they should live.

Foot washing was a hospitable act that a servant would do but at this meal we see the host doing the foot washing. Most of us wouldn't want to touch anybodies stinking feet but Jesus used the opportunity to show us a few things about serving others.

You say that you don't like to serve? Jesus love was what motivated him to serve maybe if you are not motivated to serve then you might have a problem loving people. Jesus loved us so much that he came into our world as a peasant and served us and gave it all for us despite the high position that he had. Jesus wasn't too good to serve so it seems pretty obvious that none of us are too good.

Let God's love show through you.

1 John 3:16,18 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

We are called to live a life of sacrifice and service, putting aside our old selfish man and following the example that we have been given. (Romans 12:1, Philippians 2:5) It sounds like a difficult task, to live in opposition to our sin nature, we don't have to go it alone, the Holy Spirit will help us to become more like Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 8:5-9)

I need your help Lord to live a lifestyle that is pleasing to you, thank you for your willingness to show love.

So Much Work To Do

It is a good choice but discipleship and worship trump serving.

Luke 10:38-42  As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

John 12:2-3  So they gave a dinner for Him there; Martha was serving them, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of fragrant oil, pure and expensive nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped His feet with her hair. So the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

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Mary and Martha both loved Jesus, their story really is a love story, both ladies were very devoted to what they were doing because of their love for Jesus but still, one of them wasn't doing the preferred thing at that moment.

Martha called Jesus the Messiah just before her brother was brought back from the dead (John 11:27), she was a true believer but she had her priorities mixed up. Jesus is right there in the house with her on two different occasions and both times she chooses to serve. On the same two occasions Mary chose to focus on discipleship and worship rather than working.

The first time that Mary sat at Jesus feet it was like any disciple or follower would, all of the rabbis at the temple had followers that sat at their feet and learned from them, Mary was interested in discipleship rather than serving. The second time that she was at Jesus feet was when she has her own worship service as she anointed Jesus feet with expensive perfume.

There are three good choices, serving, discipleship and worship, we have to make up our minds what the best choice is, which one will be our priority. It seems like it is the same as when the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth about love. Paul said that faith, hope, and love were all good but he made it clear that love was the greatest. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Any pastor would be thrilled to have a church full of "Mary's and Martha's." The work would be getting done and there would also be lots of discipleship and worship. Service is wonderful to have but it is even more important to chose to worship Jesus and learn to be more like him. After-all Jesus himself told us to go and make disciples and to teach them, he didn't say go and make people that will serve (Matthew 28:19-20). There are a lot of lazy people in the church that need to be serving but their problem is that they probably are not worshiping or growing either.

Serving in my local church is important but I need to keep my priorities straight and remember that worship and discipleship are a notch above serving.

Help me Lord to serve you with my priorities in the right order.

Be a Servant

What do you mean, the leaders have to be the servants?

Matthew 20:25-28  But Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them.  26  But among you it will be different.

Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,  27  and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.

28  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many."

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Everybody can relate to the words of Jesus in verse twenty-five, but there is verse twenty-six and beyond that really throws us off.

Just about anybody that is in a position of authority has a tendency to take advantage of some perks that come along with the job. Most officials whether they are government or even church leaders are tempted to be treated better or to get something that they wouldn't normally get.

Jesus makes it so clear, this is an issue that the Bible doesn't leave open for interpretation, he tells them that the worlds leaders do "this" but for anybody that wants to follow my leadership you are going to be a servant.

1 Timothy 1:12  I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him,

I am so thankful Lord that you consider me trustworthy and you have trusted me to serve you, help me to always be the humble servant leader that you want me to be, I am so thankful that you want me to work for you.

You might like to read: Commands of Jesus blog series.

Related articles

• Celebrate, Encourage, Recruit and Train (charltonscullard.blogspot.com)

Take My Yoke

Are you beat down and tired?

 Matthew 11:28-30  Then Jesus said, "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

29  Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  30  For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."

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Wait a minute! I am already tired and worn out and instead of taking it easy you want me to trade my burden in for a new one. And you say that I will find rest by taking up this new burden. Yes, that is the offer that Jesus wants you to take.

The yoke of the world

Galatians 4:3  And that's the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.

The world doesn't have much to offer to you but it is still enticing to hold on to the bondage that it brings. The guilt and shame, the worthless pursuit of fame and fortune are all a heavy burden that needs to be unloaded.

The yoke of the cross

Luke 9:23  Then He said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow Me.

There is freedom in Christ but there is also responsibility. Jesus said that we are to take up the burden that he has for us, the cross that we are to bear each day, and be his followers. We are to be the workers in the field, the Good Samaritans and the sowers of the gospel seed.

There is a lot of work left to be done Lord, but we know that you will empower your people to do the work. Thank you for finding me trustworthy and for giving me the strength to serve you. (1Timothy 1:12)

You might like to read: Commands of Jesus blog series

Jesus Disciples Are Servants

Just like their Savior

Matthew 20:26-28  But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,  27  and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.  28  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many."

Matthew 25:34-36 "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.

35 For I was hungry, and you fed Me. I was thirsty, and you gave Me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited Me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave Me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for Me. I was in prison, and you visited Me.'

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How come the only time that somebody needs help is when its inconvenient? Can't they pick a better time to need help?

Serving is hard because the main sacrifice that you have to make is to give up some of your time or some of your pride. Either the chore is something that you don't want to be seen doing or it's something that is going to cut into your schedule. Jesus and his disciples didn't have a daily calender and there wasn't any place that Jesus wouldn't go. 

I need to serve sacrificially until somebody ask why I am doing it so that I can share about the one that gave himself for me.

Thank you Lord for your sacrifice. Help me to let go of pride and make room in my schedule to follow your example and become a servant.

Related articles

• Celebrate, Encourage, Recruit and Train (charltonscullard.blogspot.com)

Fit For Service

Live out God's will, no matter what you have to leave behind.

Luke 9:61-62  Another said, "Yes, Lord, I will follow You, but first let me say good-bye to my family."  62  But Jesus told him, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God."

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There is nothing more urgent that following Jesus, everything else should be as garbage in comparison, that sounds like Paul when he told the Philippians:

"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ" (Phi 3:8).

There are a lot of things that man has devised that are designed to use up all of our time and resources, we have to be careful that we do not have a reason to walk away from the mission, there has to be a total commitment to the call. Jesus life was our example of what a life of commitment looks like, everything that he said and did everyday was focused on his mission.

I must be loyal to the mission that Jesus has called me to, if my faith is in him alone then I shouldn't have a problem with scheduling everything else around my call to serve instead of scheduling my call to serve around all the stuff that the world says that I need to participate in.

James 1:6-8  Be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.  7  Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  8  Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

Thank you Lord for desiring to use me and for giving me the strength to do the work that you have called me to (1Tim 1:12). Help me to put your agenda ahead of the many agendas that the world has to throw at us.

A Line In The Sand

Are you ready to step over the line and get serious for Jesus?

Mark 8:34-38  Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. 36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? 37 Is anything worth more than your soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

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Jesus taught many times on the concept of denying self and living to serve others. I think that sometimes we forget that the things that he taught were not instructions for the exclusive benefit of the twelve disciples but they are instructions for all of us. Here in this passage Jesus spoke to the disciples and to the crowd that had gathered around and he gave them some important instructions on how to be his follower.

Rule number 1: Turn from your selfish ways.
Yikes! What Jesus is demanding of those who follow him, those who choose to be publicly identified as his follower, is a total 180 degrees turning away from the pursuit of all personal agendas, never to return to them. Exactly opposite of our natural human desires, forget about them, the follower of Christ must be seeking to please the desires of the Father.

Rule number 2: Take up your cross.
Right here where I am today I have a mission field, most likely God already has me in the mission field that I am supposed to be working in, this isn't a call to go far from home to start doing his work.
What God may be waiting for is for me to stop pursuing my own interests and make the interests of others a top priority. As his follower I am called to do what he did, I must wash feet, rub elbows with the downtrodden, accept rejection, endure ridicule, expect to be persecuted, and carry a cross.

What extreme requirements, the fact that they are completely opposite of our sinful nature makes them seem harsh, but what is the alternative? If I spend all my time dwelling on my happiness and grabbing all the stuff that will supposedly bring fulfillment then Jesus said in the end I will lose all the my stuff and I will lose my life.

What benefit is it to me if I work to obtain my share of everything that the world has to offer but in the end its only stuff that belongs to this world and in this world its gonna stay.

What benefit is it to me if I am constantly looking out for number 1 and in my selfish endeavours I never see the one need that must be met for the protection of my soul? Humans spend so much time trying to fill "needs" that we think are so valuable and we don't see the most valuable need that we have.

Taking up my cross can lead to doing unpleasant things, being rejested or laughed at or even persecuted but still I am told to pick up my cross without embarrassment or shame so that my Savior will not be ashamed of me.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Give me a greater urgency to do the good works that you have called me to do, give me boldness to live for you despite the opposition that will come my way.

Jesus has drawn a line in the sand, if I want to be his follower then I have to choose to live to please the Father and to do the good works that he has called me to do.

Wanna Lead? Go Serve.

A servants heart is the first thing a leader needs.

Mark 9:33-35  After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, "What were you discussing out on the road?" 34 But they didn't answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. 35 He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, "Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else."

Mark 10:42-45 So Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many."

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I have been studying about leadership from God's perspective. I have seen that God wants a leader that has a pure heart, one that will be obedient to God's leadership and I have seen that the number one mission of God's leaders is to reach others with the gospel and then to disciple them to maturity.

"Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else."

Jesus Christ approached leadership as a servant, the disciples hadn't figured that out yet, boy were they hoping for something that they wouldn't see in their lifetime. The disciples were anxious for Jesus to be the new leader of the nation, a leader that would over through the rule of the Roman government, instead they found that Jesus is using some new math, he told them that if they want to be number one then they will have to be number last.

"But among you it will be different."

Jesus points out that the worldly leadership style is one that pushes its power around and forces people to be its followers, not so with Jesus, he wants his followers to follow willingly by their own free will. Jesus told his disciples that his example of servant leadership would be the only style of leadership that he would accept.

"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many."

It is so tempting to look out for self and to think that I can use my rights as a leader to get some personal gain but if the Lord of the universe came down to my level and served me then it is hopeless to think that I can look out for myself and still be pleasing to him.

A leader either sees him or herself as a superior, controlling others who must serve his or her self-centered agenda or as a servant. An authoritative leader uses people for personal gain with no regard for the well-being of the follower.

Jesus rejected the world's mission of selfishness, pursuit of fame, fortune, and power and he also goes opposite of their style of leadership. Jesus' approach to leadership is intended for the pursuit of his mission on earth, to make more disciples.

I must be a leader with a servants heart, if I lead in this fashion then I will be able to help make more disciples.

Give me wisdom Lord to live opposite of the natural order of the world. Help me to serve my family and my church and give me the boldness to lead people that I meet to you.

Jesus Leadership Style

scripture

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John 13:1 Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. 2 It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.” 8 “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” 9 Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”

10 Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

12 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16 I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. 17 Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.

observation

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“Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God”

Jesus had every reason to say "I am not touching those disciples dirty feet" but Jesus never needed to protect his image, he didn't do anything to make sure that everybody knew that he is powerful, he was okay if they saw him as a servant.

The Jews had never seen a leader like this before, whether it was the various governments that they had lived under or if it was the religious leaders that they had to submit to, they all ruled with a heavy hand that made sure that the little people knew who was in charge.

“You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”How true are these words? We all have moments when we would like to ask God what he is up too. The disciples were just as clueless as we are many times. Sometimes we try like Peter did and say "I will never" but God seems to enjoy streching us beyond our "never."

And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.
Remember Simon, the Pharisee that had Jesus over to his house for dinner, he was a teacher but he was not of the same character as Jesus. Simon thought that he was too good to be washing the dusty feet of his guest, but here is Jesus being the humble servant, willing to serve his disciples and show them the type of leaders that they should become.

application

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The greatest leader the world has ever know was not afraid to be a servant to everyone. If I am going to be a leader in ministry then I cannot be afraid to be a servant.

prayer

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Help me to serve you Lord with humility, I am nothing that you should decide to find me useful for your work.

Keep Your Life For Eternity

scripture

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John 12:23  Jesus replied, "Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory.

24  I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.

25  Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.

26  Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.

observation

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This must be the only time that Jesus and the religious leaders agreed on anything. The High Priest told the priests and Pharisees that "it is better for one man to die for all the people" (John 11:49-50) and now Jesus is telling the crowd that his death will produce a harvest of new life.

The High Priest was looking out for himself and was interested in the lifestyle that he had grown to love.

The Savior was looking out for the best interest of others, he was the ultimate example of serving others and he showed us that if we give up our life we will have our life returned to us for eternity.

Which one do you want to be like? Jesus said that if you want to be like him then you must follow his example, it may seem difficult sometimes but God "will honor anyone who serves Jesus."

application

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I need to be careful not to follow the example of this world, it is easier for all of us to look out for our own interest, but Jesus gave us the ultimate example of giving our lives away and he told me to do the same.

prayer

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Help me to always look out for ways to serve others. My life is not my own, it was bought at a high price!

Jesus Ministry Begins

scripture

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Mark 1

observation

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The time has come, John the Baptist has declared:

“Prepare the way for the LORD’s coming! Clear the road for him!” 

And Jesus announces:

“The time promised by God has come at last!”And he told them “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”

The gospel that Mark wrote is very brief and fast paced, I believe that it gives you a sense of how fast everything was taking place, all of a sudden there is a frenzy of activity as people are amazed because of Jesus power and authority, people are coming from the whole region of Galilee.

Normally after dark, since there weren’t any street lights, there was probably very little going on but that’s not true tonight:

That evening after sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. The whole town gathered at the door to watch.

The uproar was continuing late into the evening as everybody came to Jesus to see what he could do for them, nobody was concerned about who he is, everybody pushed Jesus into the servant status that he had come to earth to be:

Philippians 2:5-7 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave

application

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I must come to Jesus realizing that I should be asking “what can I do for you” instead of asking “how about doing this for me” And I should take on the same attitude and be willing to serve others.

prayer

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Thank you Lord for coming to be my Savior, for putting up with us when we are seeking to use you for gain, thank you for coming as a servant and giving us an example to follow. Help me to be a better servant.