Is My Service For God ?

[Coconut]

IS MY SERVICE FOR GOD ?

OR WITH GOD?

"Except you see signs and wonders, you will not believe." John 4:48

There seems ingrained within our nature the attitude that we must do things in order to be accepted, to prove ourselves worthy, even to ourselves, that we have done something that should be commended by others.

We find this same attitude in our spiritual journey. Someone has wisely said, It is much easier to do something than to trust in God. We would far rather work for God than believe in Him.

Whatever will redound to His glory must be what He does through us, not what we do for Him in our strength. The focus of service and our walk must be redirected from all that we are, to all that HE IS. HE must be the Source for All our Endeavors.

The sceptics in the days of Christ sought for signs and wonders to establish their faith. Our faith cannot, and will not, be established by what we see or do. Our faith is not founded upon creeds, traditions, and customs, but the Person of Jesus Christ. When evidence is present, faith is impossible. Our Faith is not generated by what Jesus says, but in WHO HE IS. When we get lost in the wonder of His Majesty, and live in the reality of a personal relationship with Almighty God, our faith will be enlarged and activated, established and secured, as we behold all that GOD IS.

This needs to characterize our service. When I was in the business world, I always told those who were my assistants, "You do not work for me, you work with me." We are bonded together to be successful in the work entrusted to us. The closer our bond, loyalty, and dedication, the more successful we will be.

This is so true in our spiritual journey. God said, "I have chosen you"
It is a constraint we cannot get away from. We are His supernaturally born again by God, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and entrusted to walk, live, and serve in the might of His Power.

We have been drawn unto Him by the supernatural grace of God; we can disobey His constraining tug upon our hearts, but we cannot initiate it.

As we surrender to HIS Control, we will discover that we are not in service for the Lord, but in service with Him.

It will be a bond of love born of God, responded to through the penetration of His Spirit in our hearts, and made effective and fruitful by the Holy Spirit working through us.

The service is now, not one of striving within ourselves, but resting in the might of our All Sufficient Savior. The fruit is the result of abiding in Him, who manifests His plan and purpose through us. The emphasis has turned from doing to being.

We often recognize as service to God what we do in our spiritual realm for God. Jesus recognizes service as what we are to Him.

Eternal fruitfulness is the natural outcome of our obedience to Christ. Behind the deed of obedience is the reality of Almighty God!

When we are reconciled unto Him, He creates within us a new life. We now draw from the well that never runs dry. Our doing is now prefaced by unreserved commitment to HIM as the Lord of our life.

We serve with renewed confidence in HIS leading, HIS power, and HIS sufficiency for every encounter.

Our service then becomes the result of our intimate relationship with Christ, characterized by a walk of obedience!

- by Ed Powell.

 

[Coconut]

"Multitudes of people are religious and have added their religion to their many pursuits of life. The Bible, church life, singing religious songs, and talking about Jesus Christ are just some of their many interests. Their devotion to Christ's Kingdom is based according to their own will and desire and is marginal at best. Push them to be total for Christ and they will disappear or call you a fanatic. These dear souls need a Divine invasion of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

When the Son of God in all His Divine life is welcomed by faith and we surrender our will to Him, Divine life floods our soul. This will immediately becomes the central focus of all your interests. Apostle Paul said it as beautiful as can be stated,

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;" (II Corinthians 5:17-18).

Jesus Christ refuses to occupy a corner. Often, He spoke of the very foundation of faith as a total surrender to Himself.

He wants all of you so He can give you all of Himself.

He stated emphatically,

"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:24-26).

This righteousness in Christ is all consuming and it is glorious.

Sin looses its power over you when Jesus Christ is Lord of your life.

This righteousness is not a work of flesh. You have no power to produce sainthood or to break free of sin. Sin is bondage that only grows as we run after our own will and interests. You may be moral and full of love for others-a really wonderful person-and still pursue these interests in your own strength. The Bible calls that self righteousness and it is rejected by Christ.

Our Savior and God's only begotten Son died to pay your debt of sin. In His sacrifice is the authority and power to impute His righteousness into your life and fill you with Divine life from above. It's a miracle of grace and it's the only ticket to eternal life.

The righteousness that will fill the New Heaven and Earth is His righteousness.

It's very simple to receive. It's all by faith. The moment that you receive all He is will be the happiest moment of your life. Paul said,

"So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God" (Romans 8:8).

Give your life to Him right now. It must include your will because that is the central expression of you. He is prepared to receive you and make you all of His.

"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4).

A breathtaking life awaits your surrender of all to Him.

- Joseph R. Chambers