Servitude for 2013

1 Kings 12:7

"If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants." (NIV)

When I see comments like this in the Bible it always makes me stop and think.
The verse is basically saying 'If you serve them, they will be your servants.' Which at first glance that concept makes no sense, especially because this advice was given to a King of Israel.

This is a great principle for all leaders and those that wish to become leaders in work, school, community organizations, and even in the household. We have to have a servants Spirit and heart. Always serving and giving God the glory. For even Jesus, the Son of Man "came not to be served, but to serve." (Matthew 20:28).  He served by healing the ill, and giving hope to the hopeless. Because of His amazing service to us (dying for our sins) we now take every moment of our days as Christians to serve and glorify Him.

Serving Jesus is done by serving others. Believers of Christ should be doing what Jesus would have been doing on earth if He was still here. In all actuality He is still here. His Holy Spirit is within us.  He lives forever on earth through us. And as we act in service toward others they get to see and feel Christ's love for them  through us.

By serving others we unconsciously give them the joy and love and freedom to serve us and others. We open them to the light of God. We serve them in hope and faith that they may be thankful not to us, but to the greatest servant of all time, Jesus, and serve Him in return.

How can you be a servant in 2013?

King Solomon: The Ludacris of the BC Era - A Lesson on Obedience

1 Kings 11 (Abbreviated)

"King Solomon loved many foreign women besides Pharoah's daughter....They were from nations about which the Lord told the Israelites 'You surely must not intermarry with them because they will surely turn your hearts after their Gods.' Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.... As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart to other God's, and His heart was not fully devoted to the Lord His God."

When I read this scripture I couldn't help but feel like King Solomon  must have been honing Ludacris. He was walking around His amazing palace singing "I got H&#s in different area codes." This was a man that really loved the ladies and he did not discriminate. Maybe many of our male readers can relate. And if you can relate to Solomon I hope you read all of 1 Kings 11-12.  God gives a fierce warning to all men through Solomon's disobedience.

Solomon was known as the wisest man in history. He prayed for wisdom and God provided it abundantly. God blessed Him to be a king of all of Israel as long as he continued to obey God's commands. Solomon was fortunate enough to have God appear to Him on many occassions. Therefore, there was never a doubt for him in regards to if he was hearing from God or not. But Solomon chose to disobey. Because of His disobedience God raised adversaries against Solomon's kingdom and caused the kingdom to be divided.

"The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel." 1 Kings 11:9.

So for those who may be out boasting about the women you've had or have had, be careful because you may be losing your God in the midst of your lust.What would you rather have ---  a hord of women or the approval of your God? 

If you are wondering why things aren't going your way --- you're failing tests, you're being fired, you're having illness after illness, you're having financial problems --- check yourself. Though all of these issues do not always stem from disobedience, they very well could be coming because of your disobedience. You may be losing out on blessings God has for you because you are not obeying Him. Solomon's situation  is just one example of disobeience. But we all disobey in different ways. Ask yourself, what is in your life that needs to be removed in order for you to fulfill God's call for your life? He is inhibiting your blessings to get you to wake up and see your disobedience.

But the good news is --- If He is attempting to wake you up to your disobeience, then He is also giving you a chance to turn from your ways and obey Him. He is giving you a chance to get back on track.

WAKE UP!

Praying for Humbleness

James 2:3 "If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here's a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, 'You stand there' or 'Sit on the floor by my feet,' have you not discrimnated ..."

Lord, give me a clean heart. I want to not judge others for their age, ability, and talents. I want to be ready and willing to help others take their proper place in God's purpose for their lives. I want to lift up and not bring down.

As you push me into greater roles, let me not forget your Word. Let me not put myself before others. Let me be humble and have a serving Spirit. Give me the grace to hear from you in all things and do your will. Allow me to do what you please.

God remove the Spirit of gossip, instigating, and feeding negativity from my heart. I want to go to work, home and school and be an example of your light. If my comments are not edifying, caring, and loving -- I prefer that you close my tongue, force me to bite it. The negative things I say are detestable. And laughing at others negative comments is equally detestable.

I cannot change others negativity if I do not change my own. I cannot be a light if I am not an example. I cannot have the Word dwelling in me, if I do not practice its teachings. What I believe is what I do.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Do not conform to this world. You are because God is. God's people are a peculiar people. Don't worry about being peculiar. Don't worry about people thinking you're weird for not gossiping or being negative. Be the person your Spirit is, not the fake person for the world.

Can You Change your Destiny?

Romans 8:29-30 " For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His son, that He might be the first born among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified He also glorified."

Have you ever heard someone say or even thought yourself, "I cannot change what happens in my life, good or bad, because God already planned everything out. What is meant to be will be"? Well your thoughts are not necessarily correct.

God knew us all before birth (Jeremiah 1:5). Therefore, 'those He foreknew' applies to all of us. In turn, because He knew all of us before creation, He also set in all of our destinies to be born again and take on the full body of Christ.

However, the catch comes when He calls you. He has called us all, but in calling, you give someone a chance to make a choice. God did not take us, grab us, or enslave us to His destiny for us. He called us to it.  It is at the point of calling that we as humans get to decide whether we will live out the destiny God predestined for us or walk out our own plan. Know that when you answer "yes" to His call and come to obey His commands, He then justifies you. In justifying you, He puts you in rightstanding with Himself and you share in His glory. It is only when you obey Him that what is meant be will actually be.

Though God has a predestined plan for your life, it is your choice to go along with that plan. So ask yourself, will you choose to follow the designed and desired plan God has for you or will you attempt to make your own plan and stumble.

Even if you've fallen out of His plan, God can get you back on track. Just say "yes" to His call and come.

Better is One Day in Your Courts

"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." Pslam 84:10

If I have to give up a whole life of sinful pleasure seeking, and only receive one day with God in return, it was worth it.

Have you ever imagined yourself in His presence? Have you thought about what you would do if you saw Him? Would you cry, sing, dance, run, or fall to your knees?

But even more, what if you were not invited in His courts? What if you knocked and He didn't answer for you? What if He summoned you to leave His presence and said "I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws." (Matt 7:22-23)?

That's what He says to those who do not believe in His son and to those who profess Christinaity yet disobey His commands.

Think about your life today and where you are. Analyze your commitment to God's Will and your obedience to His commands. If He came back today would He welcome you into His courts saying, "Well done, my good and faithful servant," (Matt 25:23), or will He cast you away and say He never knew you?

You Chart My Path

"You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment You know where I am" Psalm 139:3

God is a great instructor.

My best friends and I went on this crazy kayaking trip  in Puerto Rico this summer. We were traveling within a caravan of kayacks in a pitch dark,  narrow river path with mangrove trees surrounding us.  There were 2 people per kayak. The only thing guiding you was the kayak directly in front of you that had a small flourescent light attached to its rear. If the kayak in front of you hit a tree, you followed them into that same tree.  The boats furthest from the guide did the worse and lagged behind. And every time you ran into a tree you drifted further and further away from the guide and became weaker. My kayak partner and I ended up in the back of the caravan. Soon it was just the two of us. The blind leading the blind. We argued, became frustrated, and would have given up if it wasn't for the constant fear of snakes, alligators, and other living creatures we didn't want to meet. We made it to our destination 2 minutes behind everyone else and even docked at the wrong point. It would have been if we could have stuck close to the guide.

Christ is our guide in life. He is making a path for us in the dark places. He is telling us when to turn, when to stop, and when to take a break. He always knows where we are, but the further we are from Him the harder it becomes for us to know where He is. We start following other people's paths and they may be going the wrong way and leading you directly into a tree.

Today, God is asking you to come up to the front of the caravan and get as close to the guide as you can. Reach out to Christ so you can hear Him when He is showing you the safest route. He is trying to keep you from hitting the trees.

When you're out in the wilderness He will chart your path.

Deut 33:27a "The eternal God is your refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms."

Women often love to cuddle with their husbands in what Kerry from Sex-In-The City calls "the nook" on their chest. But oh how much more safe and secure is God's "nook". We can just rest in His arms that stretch so wide they carry all of our burdens. God's arms stretch far and wide. We can hide in them.  Cuddle with Jesus tonight. His protection is everlasting and eternal. You're safe in His arms.

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine ... to Him be the glory."
Ephesians 3:20 NIV

Imagine being in a world with people who have no eyes and someone coming to try to explain to those people what seeing is. It would be quite difficult. That is because humans can often only imagine within the limits of what they  have seen or heard before.

But instead imagine yourself having faith beyond what you've seen or heard.

I love how this verse is written in the NIV version. It's a reminder that God's way is immeasurable. His blessings have no end. His imagination has no box. Do not limit what God can do because His ability has no limits.  This is the God that created light, darkness, heaven, earth, and sea out of nothing. Many of us fail to reach our full potential because we limit what God can do to our own imaginations. But God's imagination is immeasurable and limitless. Think outside of the box.

John 8:31-32 "To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

 "The truth shall set you free!"

This is a quote we've been hearing our entire lives. And whether any of knew it or not (I didn't, until recently) it is a Bible verse. The ruth we frivously refer to when we speak this verse as an old adage is normally our own truth or the truth of another. However, God, the author of this quote, was referring to His Truth. It is His Truth, His Word, His Law that sets us free. It gives us the ability to walk without sin. It allows us to walk in righteousness. And gives us purpose for our lives. It is freedom. His Word, His Law, the Bible = FREEDOM. I don't know anyone elses truth that can do that. And through this passionate devotional blog, I pray you are set FREE!