"The Heart of a Servant"

Day #72 - 'A Woman of Faith' Devotional
Verse: "The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped." Proverbs 11:25 MSG

The old saying goes, 'Find a need and fill it'... whatever talent or gift you have, each of us is called to serve. Serving is giving of one's self in order to fulfill a need of another. Jesus showed us a great example of servant-hood when he washed his disciples feet. Such a small menial task, but it meant the world to the disciples, and to Jesus. We need to be the 'hands and feet' of Jesus to this world, and when we serve, others will bless us in return. God will bless us as well. When we serve others, someone will serve us; when we help others, someone else will help us as well. We do not give to receive, yet in some cases we do. Sometimes it's great to help, or serve or bless anonymously, so that you can watch the joy of another grow, and all the glory goes to God.

Thinking of the people in Japan, and other parts of this world who are in turmoil, due to the 'groaning of the earth' -- I also think of the COMPASSSION & WORLD VISION children all around the world (and those children who do not have sponsors). We don't have to be a missionary across the world, but it's good to give towards the mission trips of those who can go. They are our hands and feet, as well as Jesus'!

C'mon, let's be the 'hands and feet' of Jesus!

Audio Adrenaline - 'Hands & Feet' ENJOY this lil' song... one of my fav's;


BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!!

"Using Your Talents"

DAY #45 - 'A Woman of Faith' Devotional
Verse: "God has given gifts to each of you from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God's generosity can flow through you." 1 Peter 4:10 NLT


NIV "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms."
KJV "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."
MSG "Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God's words; if help, let it be God's hearty help. That way, God's bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he'll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!" (v.10 & 11)
Verse #11 is important too - "Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen."


Continuing thoughts from yesterday's post (Opportunities for Service), our gifts, talents, resources, opportunities all come from God, and they are all meant to be used for the glory of God, not for our own glory. We need to act upon each opportunity with the strength, wisdom and energy that comes from God.

We are designed in the likeness and image of God, yet we are all uniquely, fearfully and wonderfully made to do good works that God has prepared in advance for us to do. (Not predestination -- but God has created each of us to be used in a different way.) Some of us have the gift of speaking, yet we are not all supposed to be pastors, some of us have the gift of music, yet we are not all meant to be in a 'famous rock band'.

We are called to share our gifts, talents, resources and more with those around us. What good are our gifts to us alone? An artist would get hardly any satisfaction, if he/she was painting gorgeous masterpieces, only meant for him alone, never to be shared with the outside world. Our gifts increase in value when we share them. God will also bless us in return, when we step out and bless others.

Just as we are to be faithful stewards with our money and finances, we are to be faithful stewards with our gifts and talents. We are not to become greedy or hoard to ourselves -- nor are we to allow that gift or talent to become our god. God grants us grace and mercy, so that we may live according to His plan and desires for our lives. He has BIG plans for us, and He has instilled in us the certain characteristics, inner wisdom, talents, gifts, resources that allows us to become the M.E. that He has called us to be. If we are to be truly effective, we are to use our gifts and talents to live up to our potential. What we may see as our greatest efforts, our best, our greatest potential is not always what God has set out for us as our 'maximum effectiveness'. Being used in this way is certainly a learning process, one in which you probably will never stop learning (unless you yourself make the choice to quit). Understandably we do have to be taught certain things as well from the education system - - but Holy Spirit can also daily teach us things that we need as well. That is why God says to 'seek first His kingdom, and [then] all these things shall be added unto you'. (Matthew 6:33)

There is a parable of the talents found in the Bible... (found in Matthew 25:14-30) Talents are actually a form of money - - but these verses can also be read meaning talents/gifts. God will give each of us at least one gift to be used to equip, encourage & exhort(build up) the body. If we are found 'hiding' our gifts & talents, the God will take them from us, and give them to someone else. If we guard our gifts, use them wisely and receive an increase, He will bless us. I don't know about you, but I would much rather receive the blessing, than to have the gift taken away (not to be used again).

So get out there - - first, find out what your gifts and talents are and how you can use them to equip, encourage or exhort the body of Christ and the world around you. SEEK the Lord as to how you can, and when you can use them. Ensure that once you use them, you do not think of them as something you are 'performing' in your own strength, but in the strength of the Lord and that all you do is as working for the Lord, and not for men - - therefore, work at it with all your heart! Remember to give God the glory, and ensure those around you are giving Him the glory too. You can receive praise and thanks for a job well done (for sure), but in turn you can thank God for the ability of using those gifts to perform the task that you did.

"God has given you special talents -- now it's your turn to give them back to God." ~ Marie T. Freeman


GLORY TO GOD FOREVER... Here's a song by Fee that you might enjoy -- I do!


So get out there and serve, using your own special  gifts and talents!

(found through Google)

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!

Day 29: October 29th, 2009 - - Mark 9:35

“POINTS TO PONDER” – Day 29
Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired. If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)

Jesus sat down and called the twelve apostles to him. He said, "Whoever wants to be the most important must be last of all and servant of all." Mark 9:35

Last? Who wants to be last? I work in a daycare, and the children, like these disciples always argue over who is going to be first in line. Being first is important to today’s society. That is why everything is ‘fast’ now. We have fast food, microwaves, internet banking, debit machines, express lines at stores, self-checkouts, etc… we have learned that we need to do things quickly, to get ourselves ahead of the other guy. Jesus says in this verse that we are to be last, and servant to all. That doesn’t mean every time in the grocery store you should let someone ahead of you, but yes, sometimes you should. Sometimes Holy Spirit may be telling you to pay for the groceries, or the gas, or Timmy’s, or whatever for the person ahead of you or behind you in line. Serving others is a difficult thing, because it requires a humble spirit on our part, and we need to show a little grace, and kindness. We also need to strip ourselves of our selfish fleshy desires, and put others desires first. We are not called to be ‘doormats’ though, or to be taken advantage of, and we do have the right to say ‘No’.

A servant’s heart is an important character trait to have, and it is not easily come by. It takes time to train yourself to put others first. You need God to help you see others with His eyes. Simple things like making dinner for a family who’s mom is sick, or watching the kids for a young couple who have a lot of things on their plate can truly be a blessing to those with needs. Slipping $20 to a single mom in church on Sunday, playing baseball with her son who doesn’t have a dad… taking time to care! Being like Jesus… it’s not as hard as we may think!

Rick Warren did a study on a “Servants Heart”. He found 6 main points or characteristics to know if you have a servant’s heart:

1. AVAILABILITY - Real ‘servants’ do what’s needed, even if it is inconvenient for them. It’s been said that ‘God isn’t interested in your ability He’s interested in your availability’. Are you available for your family, friends, co-workers, enemies, strangers?? What steps can you take to make yourself available?
2. PAY ATTENTION TO NEEDS – Real servants see the needs and act on them before anyone else may even notice the need. They take initiative and do what needs to be done. They see the need, and do their best to meet the need, or at least try to find someone who can. Do you have the ‘eyes of Christ’? Can you see the needs of others quickly and easily? Are you too occupied with your own needs that other’s needs fall to the wayside? What steps can you take to pay more attention to other’s needs?
3. DO THE BEST WITH WHAT YOU HAVE – It basically goes along with the last one, where they do what needs to be done, with what they have available, or who they have available. This leads us back to the first one as well. Are you available for others to use to help serve someone? Do you procrastinate, and wait for a better time to help… wait for more money to help… wait for… ? Can you use everyday items or giftings that are available to you to make things work for other’s needs to be met? Are you one who says, “Well I haven’t gone to Bible College…” or “I don’t have the training…” or use other excuses not to serve?
4. DO EVERY TASK WITH EQUAL DEDICATION… or with all your heart. Small tasks or large tasks, tasks where you get noticed and appreciated, tasks with which you remain anonymous… Do you work diligently at every task, no matter what it is or who it’s for? It says in the Bible, in Colossians 3:23, “In all the work you are doing, work the best you can. Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people.” Do you serve with the heart that you are working for the Lord, or do you work grudgingly or looking for a reward all the time? Do you feel yourself to be too important to be doing the ‘little jobs’?
5. BE FAITHFUL TO YOUR MINISTRY – Finish what you begin. Stay committed, and don’t quit. Commitment these days isn’t as strong as it once was. Lack of commitment in marriages today results in a really high divorce rate. People are giving up too easily on things of great importance. We need to remember that we are working for the Lord, and He has given us the gifts, talents and traits to fulfill the position we are in. Sometimes we may feel like we are insignificant compared to others in the church… but we should still work hard at what we’ve been called to do, as we are all the same in the Lord’s eyes. We need the fruit of faithfulness in our lives to grow, so that we may persevere. Can you be counted on? Can people trust your word? Are you faithful in the little things?
6. MAINTAIN A LOW PROFILE – Be humble. “Hey everyone, look at me, see what I did, I’m so humble” is not a sentence that should be in your vocabulary. No one should think they are more important than others, and you certainly should not brag about it. Doing a service or fulfilling a task in ministry should not be something that you brag about to others. Others may lift you up and thank you for a job well done, but you are not to seek praise from others. We are working for the Lord, so it is His rewards that we should seek. No one is more important than another. “If anyone thinks he is important when he really is not, he is only fooling himself.” Galatians 6:3 (NCV) WOW… do you seek the praise of men or the praise of God? Do you do tasks only when others are watching or can notice that you are doing them? Can you anonymously fulfill a task large or small, and not receive praise? Do YOU take credit for work that someone else did? Can you do the ‘little things behind the scenes’ and not receive acknowledgement or acclaim? Are you a self-promoter?

A servant’s heart is a humble heart, it requires a lot of work, yet it should be really easy to accomplish once you set your mind to it. These steps are just a start… putting others above yourself, requires putting Jesus first in your life, and spreading the JOY of being in a relationship with Him. To have real JOY, you need to have your priorities in the right order – J.O.Y. = Jesus, Others & You! Be blessed and ask the Lord to help you have a servant’s heart.
Serving… it’s not really that difficult. It’s an important part of life, one that should not be overlooked. Where would the game of volleyball be without serving?
1 Corinthians 15:58 –“So my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Do not let anything move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your work in the Lord is never wasted.”

Here are some ‘Christian cartoons’ regarding humility, and servant-hood… enjoy! (Clicking on the link below the cartoons will take you to the cartoonist’s website – REVERENDFUN.COM and CHURCH MICE)

http://www.reverendfun.com/

http://www.zorowski.com/churchmice/frames.htm

PRAYER: O’ Lord it’s hard to be humble… help us to have a heart for others instead of ourselves, and to walk in humility. Help us to STEP UP and SERVE! Help us to love others like you love us, so that we may put their needs ahead of our own. Let us be filled with joy when we perform both large and small tasks for your glory and not our own. Continue to guide us and direct our steps so that we may glorify You and Your Son, and it’s in His Name I pray, AMEN!