Serving God
After serving the Lord for a few years, I gradually realize that none of my qualifications, whether it's integrity or skills, is worth anything in His eyes. According to Philippians 3:3, we must be ones who "serve by the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh."
I experience an outward change in my service: instead of serving full-time, I will serve part-time with the campus ministry I've been involved with for the past five years. I don't know yet what I will do with the rest of my time, but the Lord has not required any less of my genuine service and worship to Him. I still belong to Him and He is still my God. I'm not certain of what the future holds, but one thing I know, the Lord Jesus will never let me go and will always demand a resurrection-ly living. And yes, I cannot attain the Lord's desire by myself but He can continue to be and do just that in me.
This morning I had a time with the Lord and was touched by several portions in my morning devotional (Holy Word for Morning Revival: The Recovery of the Priesthood for God's Building):
"Even though we have been regenerated, we may continue to live in our fallen nature, boast in what we do in the flesh, and have confidence in our natural qualifications... We need the Lord's light to shine on us concerning our nature, our deeds, and our confidence in the flesh. If we are enlightened by the Lord, we shall confess that although we have been regenerated to become children of God with the divine life and nature, we still live too much in the flesh."
"Resurrection requires that we fall down, prostrate before God, and confess to Him, 'I can do nothing. I am nothing, and I have nothing. This is what I am. If I can give anything, it is because You have given it to me. If I can do anything, it is because You have done it through me.' Once we prostrate before the Lord in this way, everything we have will become God's work in us. Henceforth... we will realize that everything that is dead belongs to us and everything that is living belongs to God... A man must come to the end of himself before he will be convinced of his utter uselessness."
"Throughout the centuries, all the living servants of the Lord have had this resurrected Christ living in them. We can testify that He lives in us, enabling us to do what we could never do in ourselves."
I experience an outward change in my service: instead of serving full-time, I will serve part-time with the campus ministry I've been involved with for the past five years. I don't know yet what I will do with the rest of my time, but the Lord has not required any less of my genuine service and worship to Him. I still belong to Him and He is still my God. I'm not certain of what the future holds, but one thing I know, the Lord Jesus will never let me go and will always demand a resurrection-ly living. And yes, I cannot attain the Lord's desire by myself but He can continue to be and do just that in me.
This morning I had a time with the Lord and was touched by several portions in my morning devotional (Holy Word for Morning Revival: The Recovery of the Priesthood for God's Building):
"Even though we have been regenerated, we may continue to live in our fallen nature, boast in what we do in the flesh, and have confidence in our natural qualifications... We need the Lord's light to shine on us concerning our nature, our deeds, and our confidence in the flesh. If we are enlightened by the Lord, we shall confess that although we have been regenerated to become children of God with the divine life and nature, we still live too much in the flesh."
"All services to the Lord must pass through death and resurrection before they will be acceptable to God. Resurrection means that everything is of God and not of us. As long as the natural strength remains, the power of resurrection has no ground for manifestation."
"Resurrection requires that we fall down, prostrate before God, and confess to Him, 'I can do nothing. I am nothing, and I have nothing. This is what I am. If I can give anything, it is because You have given it to me. If I can do anything, it is because You have done it through me.' Once we prostrate before the Lord in this way, everything we have will become God's work in us. Henceforth... we will realize that everything that is dead belongs to us and everything that is living belongs to God... A man must come to the end of himself before he will be convinced of his utter uselessness."
"Throughout the centuries, all the living servants of the Lord have had this resurrected Christ living in them. We can testify that He lives in us, enabling us to do what we could never do in ourselves."
So I believe that I can continue serving God and endeavor to render Him true worship in spirit and truthfulness. Jesus is God, everyone!
Comments
Post a Comment