DAY 33 Thinking about My Purpose
POINT TO PONDER: I serve God by serving others.
VERSE TO REMEMBER: “If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.” MATTHEW 10:42 (NLT)
QUESTION TO CONSIDER: Which of the six characteristics of real servants offers the greatest challenge to me?
*Real servants make themselves available to serve.
*Servants don’t fill up their time with other pursuits that could limit their availability. They want to be ready to jump into service when called on.
*Much like a soldier, a servant must always be standing by for duty: “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him.”
* If you only serve when it’s convenient for you, you’re not a real servant. Real servants do what’s needed, even when it’s inconvenient.
*Are you available to God anytime? Can he mess up your plans without you becoming resentful?
*Being a servant means giving up the right to control your schedule and allowing God to interrupt it whenever he needs to.
*If you will remind yourself at the start of every day that you are God’s servant, interruptions won’t frustrate you as much, because your agenda will be whatever God wants to bring into your life.
*Servants see interruptions as divine appointments for ministry and are happy for the opportunity to practice serving.
*Real servants pay attention to needs. Servants are always on the lookout for ways to help others. When they see a need, they seize the moment to meet it, just as the Bible commands us: “Whenever we have the opportunity, we have to do what is good for everyone, especially for the family of believers.”
*We miss many occasions for serving because we lack sensitivity and spontaneity. Great opportunities to serve never last long. They pass quickly, sometimes never to return again. You may only get one chance to serve that person, so take advantage of the moment. “Never tell your neighbors to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now.”
*Real servants do their best with what they have.
*Servants don’t make excuses, procrastinate, or wait for better circumstances.
*Servants never say, “One of these days” or “When the time is right.” They just do what needs to be done.
*The Bible says, “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.”
*God expects you to do what you can, with what you have, wherever you are.
*Less-than-perfect service is always better than the best intention.
*One reason many people never serve is that they fear they are not good enough to serve.
*They have believed the lie that serving God is only for superstars.
*Some churches have fostered this myth by making “excellence” an idol, which makes people of average talent hesitant to get involved.
*You may have heard it said, “If it can’t be done with excellence, don’t do it.” Well, Jesus never said that!
*The truth is, almost everything we do is done poorly when we first start doing it — that’s how we learn.
*At Saddleback Church, we practice the “good enough” principle: It doesn’t have to be perfect for God to use and bless it.
*We would rather involve thousands of regular folks in ministry than have a perfect church run by a few elites.
*Real servants do every task with equal dedication. Whatever they do, servants “do it with all their heart.”The size of the task is irrelevant. The only issue is, does it need to be done?
*The Bible says, “If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody.”7 It is in these small services that we grow like Christ.
*Jesus specialized in menial tasks that everyone else tried to avoid: washing feet, helping children, fixing breakfast, and serving lepers. Nothing was beneath him, because he came to serve. It wasn’t in spite of his greatness that he did these things, but because of it, and he expects us to follow his example.
*Small tasks often show a big heart. Your servant’s heart is revealed in little acts that others don’t think of doing,
*you develop a servant’s heart when you’re willing to do anything needed.
*Real servants are faithful to their ministry. Servants finish their tasks, fulfill their responsibilities, keep their promises, and complete their commitments. They don’t leave a job half undone, and they don’t quit when they get discouraged. They are trustworthy and dependable.
*Faithfulness has always been a rare quality. Most people don’t know the meaning of commitment.
*They make commitments casually, then break them for the slightest reason without any hesitation, remorse, or regret.
*Can you be counted on by others? Are there promises you need to keep, vows you need to fulfill, or commitments you need to honor?
*Imagine what it will feel like one day to have God say to you, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!”12
*By the way, faithful servants never retire. They serve faithfully as long as they’re alive. You can retire from your career, but you will never retire from serving God
*Real servants maintain a low profile. Servants don’t promote or call attention to themselves. Instead of acting to impress and dressing for success, they “put on the apron of humility, to serve one another.”
*Paul exposed a kind of service that appears to be spiritual but is really just a put-on, a show, an act to get attention. He called it “eyeservice”14 — serving in order to impress people with how spiritual we are. This was a sin of the Pharisees. They turned helping others, giving, and even prayer into a performance for others.
*Jesus hated this attitude and warned, “When you do good deeds, don’t try to show off. If you do, you won’t get a reward from your Father in heaven.”15
*As Paul said, “If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
*don’t be discouraged when your service is unnoticed or taken for granted. Keep on serving God! “Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.”Even the smallest service is noticed by God and will be rewarded.
*Remember the words of Jesus: “If, as my representatives, you give even a cup of cold water to a little child, you will surely be rewarded.”
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