Tag: Serve

Listen More

Put your mind at rest now that you know how to proceed.

Meditation Thought: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22) and “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)

If I remain alert to His leading, and am obedient, He will have me be a doer, for I will recognize and acknowledge the true Giver, who is using the attributes which He gave me. I can be happy in what I am doing, but must remember that what I’m doing has no meaning aside from obedience to God, and I must constantly check to see that I am on the path where He wants me to be.

Perceived reply: “Oh, my child, relax – I did not give you qualities which I want to use to cause you distress and doubts. I gave them to you to further my kingdom, to the extent of your willingness to dedicate them to me.

Listen, listen more than you ‘do’; this assures our harmonious working together for a common goal, and should enable you to push aside doubts and fears, as you concentrate your energies with a devotion and dedication that shuts out evil forces. Do not try to proceed to the work without fully understanding the instructions, for that is where danger lies.

Put your mind at rest now that you know how to proceed. Spend adequate time in reading My Word, and communicating in prayer, in serving others as a privilege of serving Me, and be open to my instructions through all channels. This formula will not fail, for your energies will all be dedicated to Me, and not siphoned off in useless contemplation.”

The Blessing of Confession

As we lose ourselves in prayer for another, that is when we come closest to being made in the image of God, for we are serving, unselfish, loving, and giving at that moment.

Meditation Thought: “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” James 5:16

Confess. Confess is a pouring out of a thought – as you pour it out of yourself, it is no longer part of you; that thought is not inside of you, to cause festering, to be interfering with thoughts on which God wants us to concentrate: thoughts full of beauty, holiness, kindness.

As others hear of your sin, they can express the confirmation of God’s forgiveness and of their forgiveness – thereby also reinforcing their own need to confess their sins and be forgiven.

And pray – always pray for one another, for to pray is to express love and concern, and to call for power for the other. As we lose ourselves in prayer for another, that is when we come closest to being made in the image of God, for we are serving, and unselfish, and loving, and giving at that moment – a child imitating our parent. And in the imitating, becoming more like the parent, more God-like – more as He teaches by His example. Varied as His examples are, they are always consistent in their nature: they exemplify love.

For God is Generous

God desires you to serve – and to serve both willingly and devotedly.

Meditation Thought: “No one can serve two masters, for he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon.” (Matthew 6:24)

(Mammon is a personification of riches as an evil spirit or deity.)

You cannot serve two masters. You can, however, serve one master and do good to another master in the process of serving the one, provided this is according to the will of the one served.

Therein lies the crux: To serve God will not preclude doing good in many areas – even if this good actually constitutes a temporary serving of another master. But to serve Mammon is another matter. For God is generous, but Mammon is a tyrant, and Mammon desires more and more serving to himself for his own selfish gain. He will not be so generous as to allow you to serve God: He desires to enslave you to himself. God desires you to serve – and to serve both willingly and devotedly. But He will give you assignments which place you in the position of doing good in many places, thus bringing service to many masters. This is a far cry, however, to doing good to only one master: Mammon.

By doing service for many masters, according to the instructions by God, this is serving God as one master. When we run ‘hither and yon’ serving masters on our own decision, then we are attempting to serve more than one master; and not only are we ineffective in serving them, we give disservice to both God and ourselves.

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