Showing posts with label servant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label servant. Show all posts

Sunday, June 3

In the Presence of the King




One day, with head hung down, the lowly subject known as Sinner found herself standing in the Presence of the King. He guided her to a rugged cross, stained with blood that had trickled down its post. He escorted her to an empty tomb, where burial cloths lay as evidence of One having been there. As He walked with her into the Garden of Easter gladness, she finally understood and accepted the sacrifice for forgiveness of sins.

Sinner became known as Saint as she daily pursued the King’s Presence. Sitting at His feet, she received all the King’s blessings of the Holy Spirit for her life.

Then, one day, she crawled into the Throne Room as Discouraged, seeking answers to her many trials. The King lifted her up and sent her home with His Servant Encouragement to attend her in all her ways.

Entering one day as Faithless, she timidly approached the King. He immediately forgave her and imparted His Servant Grace to fill her heart.

One day, entering as Defeat, she bowed her head in shame before the Throne, asking for the King’s assistance, wondering why her life was a failure. He entrusted His Servant Victory to be her advocate in all the matters of her life.

Entering one day as Pride, she strutted in before the King. Shaking His head at her, He assigned His Servant Humility to kneel by her side always.

One day, entering as Grief, she fell sobbing into the arms of the King. He gently placed His hand of Love upon her head and dispatched His Servants Comfort and Peace to wipe away her tears and accompany her to still waters.

Entering one day as Selfish, she shoved her way into the King’s Throne Room, and the Selfless Lamb appeared and stood silently beside her, wrapping His arm around her shoulders and leading her to perform sacrificial acts for others.

One day, she returned as Prodigal, collapsing in exhaustion at the feet of the King. He set her back upright, wrapped a royal robe around her shoulders, placed a golden crown upon her head and a divine ring upon her finger, and sent His Servants Goodness and Mercy to pursue her in all her ways.

In all her subsequent days, she entered the Kings’ Presence on bended knees, with head bowed in reverence, and hands lifted in gratitude. Praise and Worship became her closest Companions…forevermore.

~Thoughts to ponder: What pursues you? What do you pursue?


***Okay. I cheated. This is a part of the Christianwriters.com blog chain on the topic of pursuit. My brain isn’t working and I did not have a post so this is a rerun.
                                                                       
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Posted by lynnmosher

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Monday, April 30

Grace on Its Knees






She sat down in the back row. Aching. Her heart, aching from too many negative events in her life lately. Her body, still aching from a recent illness. Her feet, aching from standing all day, serving too many hamburgers to truck drivers.


Still dressed in her uniform for work, Grace came to her church’s midweek service, not having time to go home and change.

After the worship time was over, the preacher went to the pulpit. “Today,” he started, “we’ll be doing something a little different. You probably noticed that I didn’t give out the topic of my sermon for tonight. I did that for a very good reason. I didn’t want you to stay away.”

What? All the church members turned to their neighboring pewsitters with puzzled looks on their faces.

“I want us to prepare our hearts for something special tonight.” The preacher then called for the deacons to bring out bowls of water and towels.

A soft moan of “oh, no” swept across the sanctuary.

“I want us to think of the days of Jesus and what servants in His time did for those that entered their master’s house. As most of the roads then were nothing more than dirt, the dust from walking stuck to one’s sandaled feet. Mud or what the animals left behind might be stepped in as well! So, to welcome guests into his home, a host provided a servant with water and a towel to cleanse the dirt from the guests’ feet.

“It does not matter the condition of your feet today, whether you have on holey socks or your feet smell from the day’s work. It takes a servant’s heart to kneel before another, to humble himself or herself, so please submit to the service of the one next to you and offer your service to another with a meek heart.

“What was Jesus’ attitude when He washed the feet of the disciples? Self-renunciation, humility, love, submission. It was a doulos attitude. Doulos is the Greek word for a bondservant, a slave whether voluntary or involuntary, the highest form of self-renunciation.

“Jesus told the disciples that their attitude was to be like His, for He did not come to be served but to serve.

“So, I want you to think of two things: one, as you are on your knees, consider the attitude of your heart. Are you doing this grudgingly, or are you doing it with a doulos attitude? And two, as another washes your feet, what is your heart’s attitude?”

After praying, the preacher softly asked, “Do the sins of others smell to you? Are there holes in their hearts? Are their souls, s-o-u-l-s, worn out just as their soles, s-o-l-e-s, may be? There is no judgment here tonight; only humble service of one to another.”

Every other member sitting in a pew lowered themselves to wash the feet of the one next to them, treating them as a guest in the house of their Master. While on their knees, they looked deep within themselves to discover the attitude of their hearts.

Grace’s first reaction was to recoil: I can’t take my shoes off in front of these people! And I don’t want to wash someone else’s stinky feet!

Jolting her out of her thoughts was the sound of shoes dropping throughout the sanctuary. Submitting to the task, Grace bent down on her knees to wash her neighbor’s feet.

Those that submitted to the washing wiped away the streaming tears from their faces. Others were reticent or outright refused to remove their shoes. Embarrassed, they pulled away just as Peter pulled away from Jesus when He wanted to wash Peter’s feet.

As Grace left that night, she, too, had tears puddling in her eyes, for her heart had changed, just as others had. All left the service with thoughts of a servant’s heart, a doulos spirit...

...with humility: as grace on its knees.

Do I have it? Do I have a willing doulos attitude that will...

*kneel before others with a humble servant’s heart to serve them?
*help them cleanse the dirt accumulated from the path of life?
*not judge the smell of others’ sins?
*comfort the pain of the holes in their hearts?
*uplift the distress of their worn out souls?
*not recoil from the “foot washing” service from others?

A. B. Simpson once said, “Christ made Himself the servant of all, and he who would come nearest to Him and stand closest to Him at last must likewise learn the spirit of the ministry that has utterly renounced selfish rights and claims forever.”

What humble “foot washing” service can I provide for the guests in the Master’s house?

~Lord, wash my feet that I may walk in Your humility and pour out the sweet perfume of service on others as...
...grace on its knees.


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Thursday, July 14

What Does Your Hairbrush Look Like?

What do you use when on servant’s knees?
What does your “hairbrush” look like?




“Your attitude must be like My own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give My life as a ransom for many.”
(Matt. 20:28 TLB)




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Monday, October 12

If I Have Chosen to be God's Servant...


“It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.” (Matt. 10:25 NKJV)

One of my devotionals the other day kindled some self-introspection, as usual, and caused me to ask myself some questions. Then, I had an occurrence in my life. You know, one of those experiences that the Lord allows to drive home a point? Well, it did! Here’s what I asked myself…

If I have given the Lord my life, allowing Him to be my Salvation, my Guide, my Rescuer, my source of Power, my Victory, my Freedom, my Listener, my Promise, my Protection, my Forgiveness, my Peace, my Comfort, my Joy, my Praise, my Provision, my Healer, my Teacher, my Rest, my Righteousness, my Shepherd, my Life…

…then…

* will I serve Him every day?
* will I strive to remain obedient?
* will I surrender all into His care?
* will I trust that His will and purpose are best?
* will I dare to believe His Word and promise and apply it to my life?
* will I know all things, yes, all things, come to me as sifted through His loving fingertips?

The opening verse uses the word ‘enough.’ It also means sufficient and content. So, how sufficient do I consider my life in my Master’s hands? How content am I to have Him manage my day?

If all the moments of my everyday life are filtered through His care, then how can I not receive every situation, every hurt, every interruption in my day as being of His keeping, of His nod of approval? How can I not serve Him gladly and say, “Yes, Lord, Your will be done”?

How can I not smile and say “thank You” to the One guiding me, the One Who loves me more than anyone else, the One Who watches over me, the One Who takes all my moments and 8:28s them?

As Romans 8:28 says, if I love God and am called according to His purpose, then “all things work together for good.” The Greek word for ‘working together’ is ‘sunergeo,’ which, in part, means to labor together as partners, co-operate, co-worker, assist by putting forth power together, and so on.

‘Sunergeo’ is the basis for our English word ‘synergy,’ which is a combined action or functioning, a combined action of two or more agents, when taken together, having a total affect that is greater than the sum of the individual effects.

The first definition of ‘synergism’ listed in The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, published in 1966, gives this awesome definition: the doctrine that the human will cooperates with the Holy Ghost in the work of regeneration. Thank you, Random House!

In other words, all things co-operate together, as co-partners in labor for good. So, if I have chosen to be God’s servant, what is my attitude at what He allows to come my way? Do I work together with Him to bring good results?

As a servant…

* do I still praise the Lord if persecution comes my way?
* do my words speak of peace and joy or anger and bitterness?
* do I complain when something negative interrupts my peace?
* does my day’s work glorify the Lord if I rebel at His commands?
* do I serve my Master poorly by grumbling under my breath at His requests?
* am I perfected in His image if I do not have a positive attitude, no matter what the circumstances?

If I desire to be like my Master, trials and tribulations, heartache and pain, grief and suffering will come my way. Is my attitude toward them synergistic with His?

If “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to do whatever He wants,” (Luke 1:38 TLB) will I hear those awesome and long-awaited words from my Master, “Well done, good and faithful servant…Come and share your Master’s happiness!” (Matt. 25:23 NIV)



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