Serving Others
When you focus on serving others, your need is often met through God’s supernatural law of serving.
*God has called each of us to live for a cause greater than ourselves.
Authentic hospitality can only flow through a surrendured heart filled with
God’s Agape Love. Bless and surprise someone with the simplicity of random love, kindness and hospitality today! **”Be hospitable to one another without complaint.”1 Peter 4:9
Another version says ” Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay”.
Be devoted to ONE ANOTHER – give yourself to hospitality. Hospitality isn’t what would first come to mind under moments of extreme trial. But it makes absolute sense.
*We need God and we need each other! We need to guard our relationship with God when under pressure and our relationship with others.
Its at such times that a strain can be placed on our relationship with God and others. Love others by overlooking disagreements, avoiding negative talk or gossip, control your tongue under pressure, by being hospitable, live in each other’s worlds – giving and receiving the warmth of friendship. Building the most powerful bonds of strength over the fellowship at the table.
Verse 10 goes on to say: ” God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.”
Out of this relationship and context SERVE ONE ANOTHER with whatever gift God has given you – speaking, giving, helping. Ministry flows out of relationship. This will guard you against many pressures. Context is extremely important to our ministry.
*Ministry is not simply the delivering of a gift.
** Ministry is the context in which we SERVE that gift.
* The gift is explosive in an environment of love and acceptance.
These bonds will defeat all obstacles and opposition. Love is more powerful than all.
James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
*These friendships develop when we get honest about who we are and what is happening in our lives. They develop when we share our hurts, reveal our feelings, confess our failures, disclose our doubts, admit our fears, acknowledge our weaknesses, and ask for help and prayer.
*It’s only as we become open about our lives that we experience authentic fellowship.
The world thinks intimacy occurs in the dark, but God says it happens in the light.
We tend to use darkness to hide our hurts, faults, fears, failures, and flaws. **But in God’s light, we can bring them all out into the open and admit who we really are.
**This is the way we grow spiritually and be emotionally healthy.
The law of sowing and reaping comes into play in this Kingdom principle. “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love.” (Hos 10:12). “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Cor 9:6-9)
“LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance” (Ps 16:5-6).
We don’t serve others to GET!
However, when you do serve others, there is a Kingdom principle that works on your behalf as fruit of your service. Is there someone you need to serve this Holiday Season?
Galatians 6:2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.
* You have to KNOW who you are and WHOSE you belong to.
* Be that someone others can count on. * Be the one who displays Christ. The one who works behind the scenes and dose not need a pat on the back.
* One who Loves enough to risk relationships for the sake of Truth.
* One who displays the character and spirit of Christ in the best of times, the worst of times.
1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. 14 And do everything with love.
I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. — Galatians 2:20
*These words mean the breaking of my independence with my own hand and surrendering to the supremacy of the Lord Jesus.
*It means breaking the husk of my individual independence of God into oneness with Himself, not for my own ideas, but for Absolute Loyalty to Jesus.
*I must be broken from my self-realization, and immediately that point is reached, the reality of the supernatural identification takes place at once, and the witness of the Spirit of God is unmistakable – “I have been crucified with Christ.” (Now a Bond-Servant of Jesus).
Lord Jesus, I don’t think I know who I am. I KNOW who I am. I am Yours!! Lord You have and are defining me. Continue to shape and mold me. I want to be a Server/giver. A Server/ giver of all things especially YOU. May I be a spiritual life source to those around me. ” May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”. (Romans 15:5-6).
In Jesus name, AMEN.