Friday, January 22, 2010

Surrendered Servant

I have been thinking the past few days about Christ and his perfect example of being a surrendered servant. If He, the perfect spotless Lamb of God, did not view Himself as one who was above serving, then how could I ever think I am above serving those around me? I can not.

Philippians 2:6-7 says this about Christ,
"who although existed in the form of God, did regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself taking the form of a bond-servant..."

As a bond-servant, I cannot just talk of the doctrines I believe in or choose to follow, I must act in such a way that I put others above myself. (
Sacred Marriage, Gary Thomas) Servanthood causes me to grow spiritually and personally. It is a challenge to my personal life to offer myself day after day, but in this place of humility I will grow beyond measure in the likeness of Christ. This is my goal, the essence of Christianity.

The world has made a mockery of what I choose to do with my life each day. I choose to be a wife and mother, to be a servant. The outside influences are strong and pull me to find significance in so many other places, but in all honesty~ genuine greatness lies in being a servant. (Sacred Marriage)
Genuine and authentic are words that I would want used when speaking about who I was as a woman. To achieve that is to surrender myself and be used of God, in whatever capacity He chooses.

If we view our everyday lives as a place to serve, then we can help prevent the false view of disillusionment. Even when those around us may not seem "worthy" to serve, we will still have a heart of joy in serving them, because we know that our service is truly unto God.

1 Corinthians 10:31
,
"whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Colossians 3:23-24 says, "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve."

Serving is hard and it will cost us something(s)! But in all honesty, don't you feel that sacrificing for the sake of God is worth it all? His ultimate sacrifice provides for me a hope to which I hold firmly. In an effort to offer a sacrifice of worship to Him each day, I will choose to serve. I will choose to surrender. For I know that in this lies the greatest treasure of knowing Him more closely and having a deeper love for Him. I long to please God with my life and I know that by serving I can cause His heart to smile. I see this when my own children set aside their selfish agenda and work in the interest of one another. This makes me smile~ How happy the heart of my Father must be when I choose to serve rather than be served.
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This is a great book by Gary Thomas~

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