{"id":153,"date":"2020-04-24T16:05:01","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T16:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elevatingtruth.org\/?page_id=153"},"modified":"2020-05-31T05:44:53","modified_gmt":"2020-05-31T05:44:53","slug":"serving-god-and-others","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/elevatingtruth.org.za\/ministry\/serving-god-and-others\/","title":{"rendered":"Serving God and others"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

20\/12\/2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Day 1<\/strong>
Job 31 v 13-23; Ps 112 v 1-10<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe the willingness to serve the Lord and each other go hand in hand with humility.  Fearing the Lord and giving a helping hand to the needy when required, but not only meeting someone\u2019s physical needs, as sharing the hope we have in Christ also forms part of serving each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 2<\/strong>
Deut 15 v 1-11; Isaiah 58 v 1-14<\/p>\n\n\n\n

13 \u201cIf you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord\u2019s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, 14 then you will find your joy in the Lord…\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does this apply to us?  This does not only apply to a specific day but also to our daily walk with the Lord.  Someone recently said a life of self sacrifice is a hard life, but the only life worth living.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we truly want to serve the Lord in humility and continue to be faithful to Him, we cannot follow our own way and do as we please.  Once we reach a point where we serve God with our whole being, living a crucified life, day and night, we will find joy in the Lord and show grace and compassion to our brothers in need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 3<\/strong>
Isaiah 10 v 1-4; Job 29 v 11-17<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe one cannot understand grace or the concept thereof if you do not understand the law and how it points out the need for salvation…  think about it….  I have a point with this…  The same applies to the old and new testament.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think the old testament is a gold mine ready to be excavated, while sometimes seeming difficult to grasp. It becomes clear just what is expected from us regarding our service to the Lord and our fellow beings and the consequence of neglecting our duties.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let these passages be a reminder of what it means to be a servant of the Lord and what it looks like when you willingly serve your neighbour who is in need, whether it be a brother or a stranger.  All the honour to our Lord and Saviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 4<\/strong>
Matt 5 v 38 – chap 6 v 4; Luke 19 v 1-10<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus pointed out that serving one another meant giving more than what was expected and that we should even love and pray for those who persecute us, for we are no better than anyone who does not serve the Lord as they receive the same priviledges and blessings we do.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are all beggars and simply showing others where the bread is.  Having found it first doesn\u2019t make us special and we should therefore give freely, for freely we have received, and in giving, we should give in secret, going by unnoticed and the Lord will reward us accordingly.  This goes for everything we do – not to be seen by men – but instead to mature in our faith and become sons and daughters of our Father in heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 5<\/strong>
1 Kings 17 v 7-16; Zecharia 7 v 1-14<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Zechariah 7 v 8 – 11  \u201c…… practice kindness and compassion, each to his brother…. <\/em>and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.\u201d  Do not harden your hearts and stop your ears from hearing brothers, so that when we call on the Lord, He will listen and soften our hearts in such a way that we will become bond servants once again, not only serving Him, but also our neighbour….  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 6<\/strong>
Luke 10 v 25-37; 1 John 3 v 11-24<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting how Jesus pointed the lawyer to the law and as I said earlier, I don\u2019t think you can fully understand grace if you don\u2019t understand the law and what it means to love your neighbour as yourself….  This Godly and sacrificial love will cause one to lay down their life for a brother.  Show love, compassion and kindess in \u201cdeed and truth\u201d and not through empty words in order for us to stand with a pure heart, in confidence before the Lord<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 7 <\/strong>[2 Kings 4 v 1-7; Ruth 2 v 1-23] & Day 8<\/strong> [Matt 19 v 16-30; Luke 12 v 22-34]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we are willing to serve the Lord and others, He provides in our daily needs, just like He did with Ruth and the widow.  He gives us His word that when we seek His kingdom first, everything we need to survive will be given to us, for He knows exactly what we require.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do not turn away from the Lord like the rich young man did, for it is an attitude of the heart and not what you possess and even the smallest thing that we idolize can come between us and the Lord.  Therefore, \u201cbe dressed in readiness and keep your lamps lit\u201d<\/em> [and your eyes fixed on Him] so that we may be prepared for the Lord\u2019s return.  Luke 12 v 35-38<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 9<\/strong>
James 2 v 1-26<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How often do we say the [christian] politically correct thing, that we\u2019ll pray for someone we know, who is in need, and yet we do not offer to help within our means?  That kind of faith we practice is useless…  let\u2019s be cautious in flaunting our faith without works, while having much to say and at the same time someone else might show their faith by their works, without having to say anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are justified by our works just as much as we are justified through our faith and for this reason we should live a life of giving and serving for we do not know the hour in which our Lord is coming, for much will be required from us whom the Lord has given a measure of faith \ud83d\ude4f<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 10<\/strong>
Acts 2 v 42 – chap 3 v 10; Acts 4 v 32-37<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems the modern world has much to learn from the early congregations…  besides sharing what they had, to ensure no one was lacking, they were also \u201cof one mind\u201d in their worship and taking their meals together with \u201cgladness and sincerity of heart\u201d and although they had their own challenges during that time, we are exposed to so many things today, which makes serving God and our brothers even more difficult if we stand with one foot in the world…  May we live a life of worship and service, not only during our devotional time, but with every breath we take!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 11<\/strong> [2 Cor 8 v 1 – chap 9 v 15] & Day 12<\/strong> [Rom 15 v 25-29; Matt 25 v 31-46]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The passage in 2 Cor seems difficult to grasp at first glance and what I take from it is that each one should do (give) as he has purposed in his heart.  Not giving under compulsion but serving one another with what we have while bearing the weaknesses of those without strength (Rom 15 v 1) and the crux of the matter is that if we have done good to any of our brothers (neighbours) Jesus says we have done it to Him (Matt 25 v 31 – 46).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who are we then actually serving through our deeds, other than God Himself?!  May we enter this new year with a renewed attitude of heart, knowing that we serve a righteous and just God who is loving and kind and will reward us according to our deeds.  May His grace be sufficient for you and your loved ones dear brothers.  Thank you for joining me on this journey.  I trust it had been fruitful with many more years to come<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 13<\/strong>
Acts 10 v 1-8; Acts 10 v 23-48<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even Cornelius, the highly ranked officer, didn\u2019t consider himself any better and gave to the Jewish people, who were considered slaves the eyes of the Romans, while Peter proclaimed that we should not call any man \u201cunholy or unclean\u201d and therefore we should be willing to serve everyone.  Jesus took the wrath of God upon Himself and paid the price for everyone, why wouldn\u2019t we do the same?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He commands us to take up our cross and follow Him and in doing so we need to be available for the work of His kingdom.  May we be salt to this fading world and may God\u2019s light of hope shine through us in these dark and uncertain times, where people are desperate for a saviour and yet He is knocking on the door of their hearts.  I wish you a blessed and peaceful new year.  May you and your loved ones experience the grace of God, knowing that He will never leave you nor forsake you, if you abide in Him He will continue to abide in you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 14 <\/strong>
Luke 14 v 7-14; Phil 4 v 10-20<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Conclusion<\/strong>
If we are willing to serve in humility and place others\u2019 needs before ours, God will exhalt and reward us accordingly in due time.  It\u2019s not always easy to take the lowest seat, is it?  Let us look out for others and give them the opportunities they desire – should we be in a position to do so – and through doing this reflect God\u2019s love and kindness everyone is longing for.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are so blessed to have a relationship with our Creator, knowing we serve a living God, seeing the work He is doing in our lives and receiving grace in abundance.  Show compassion towards others and be willing to walk the extra mile for someone.  May the Lord bless you and your loved ones.  Stay faithful to Him and put your trust and hope in Him alone.  He is our rock and our salvation.  To God all the glory.  Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

20\/12\/2019 Day 1Job 31 v 13-23; Ps 112 v 1-10 I believe the willingness to serve the Lord and each other go hand in hand with humility.  Fearing the Lord and giving a helping hand to the needy when required,… Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-153","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nServing God and others | 14 Days on serving God and others<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Serving God and others go hand in hand with humility and we should be willing to give more than is expected, because it's the right thing to do.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/elevatingtruth.org.za\/ministry\/serving-god-and-others\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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