For the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. —Mark 10:45
Jesus came not to be served but to serve. Like the father waiting for his prodigal son to come home, the Father waited for an eternity for us to come home, back into His arms. After waiting and waiting, God could wait no more. Love seeks out that which is loved. Before we could ever turn back toward home, He came to us through His Son, Jesus. He gave us everything we asked for and more. Before we asked, He died for us, offering us His eternal gift of love—everlasting life. He wants us to live forever so that He can love us forever! Like the prodigal son, we may run to the Father, fall at His feet, and beg to serve Him. He always refuses. Instead, He picks us up, bathes us with His tears, clothes us with a white robe of righteousness washed in the blood of Jesus, puts the ring of power and authority on our finger, and ushers us into a feast fit for the King.
As a homemaker, wife and mother I know it’s my responsibility to make sure my family is living a healthy life. We are not perfect at it, (as I type this, I’m gazing longingly at the donuts inside the Starbucks display case) but I do strive to create a healthy environment for my family.
It is glorifying to God to take care of our health and our bodies. But first, I just have to get this out of the way: God is sovereign. He is Lord, creator, and sustainer over this life. I have no control over the days of my family’s life (Matthew 6:27). John Piper says it well,
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” (Romans 11:33-34)
Have you ever had a dream that didn’t come true? Have you ever had one that you felt God gave to you and you are still waiting for it to happen? I have had a dream since I was a child that I’m still waiting to see come to fruition and I have lived almost a half a century. I believe that it is a desire that God has put in my heart, at times it has been a burning passion and at other times just a quiet longing.
Why does God put a dream in our heart and have us WAIT?
Though he was God, did not demand and cling to his
rights as God, but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise
of a slave and becoming like men.” (Philippians 2:6-7 LB)
Everybody surrenders to something or
someone in life. If not to God, you’ll surrender to popular opinion, money,
resentment, or fear, to your own pride, lust, and ego.
We were designed to worship
something, and when we fail to worship God, we create gods (idols) to which we
surrender ourselves. E. Stanley Jones said, "If you don't surrender to
Christ, you surrender to chaos." You’re free to choose what you surrender
to, but you’re not free from the consequences of that choice: “So give
yourselves completely to God” (James 4:7a NCV).
Surrender is not the best way to
live; it is the only way to live. Nothing else works. All other approaches lead
to frustration, disappointment, and self-destruction.
Do you ever feel like a total hypocrite when you realize what is coming out of your mouth at church?
I don’t mean the words of worship and praise for God—those always sound right. And I don’t mean the words of confession of sin or the words of prayer. I am referring to the words of hymns that describe our lives as Christians.
Take, for instance, Frances Havergal’s famous hymn of personal dedication, “Take My Life and Let It Be.” The fourth stanza always makes me feel kind of sheepish (we’d blush if that were possible in this age of no shame): “Take my silver and my gold; Not a mite would I withhold.” I think of my decades of selfishness. Can you sing that stanza with a straight face and mean it?
He [Gideon] said to Him, “O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's house.” But the LORD said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.” Judges 6:15-16
Pressure. Ever felt it? In sports, we marvel at those who can step up amidst the pressure and sink the winning putt, kick the winning field goal, or make the winning free throws.
I recently saw the movie The King’s Speech. King George (B, B, B, Bertie) definitely felt the pressure as he stood to overcome his stammering and deliver the most important speech of his life.
Have you ever felt great pressure to try to live the Christian life? Have you ever felt great pressure to be the person God wants you to be? Have you ever felt great pressure to knock one out of the park for Jesus as you teach or preach or witness or sing or serve in His name?
Have you ever wilted under the pressure, and then beat yourself up for failing?
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart"(1 Samuel 16:7).
When God looks at us, the first thing He sees is the state of our heart. In the next few devotionals we are going to look at several different aspects of the heart—things that must be present in order to experience the richer blessings of God.
· A clean heart. Psalm 51:10 says, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
Every once in a while I have to clean out the drains throughout our house. It is amazing how quickly they become clogged. If I do not clean them, before long, the sinks get stopped up and the water will not flow through anymore.
“Then the king said, ‘Bring me a sword.’ So they brought a sword for the king. He then gave an order: ‘Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.’ The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, ‘Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!’ But the other said, ‘Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!’ ” — 1 Kings 3:24–26
In the opening chapters of the book of Kings, King Solomon is granted one wish. In this original genie-in-the-bottle moment, God appears to Solomon in a dream and invites him to ask for anything. King Solomon chooses to ask for wisdom. He places wealth, health, and immortality on the back burner, so that he can best serve God in his role as the king.
Immediately afterwards, we read the famous story about two women who approach the king about a dispute over a baby. The first woman claims that the other woman stole her baby after the woman accidentally killed her own child when she rolled over the baby during the night. The second woman denies the claim and insists that the living child is hers. King Solomon’s new gift of wisdom is demonstrated to the nation as he cleverly discerns the truth by offering to cut the baby in two in order to give both women half. As Solomon anticipates, the true mother is revealed when the second woman pleads with the king to give the whole child to the other woman rather than put the child to death.
What to do when God has you waiting .
Do you ever feel like a total hypocrite when you realize what is coming out of your mouth at church?