A Servant's Heart

Hi everyone,

So I want to talk a little bit about something that has gained a little bit of a bad rap in today's society. And that is having a servant's heart. Over the course of the next couple of weeks I am hoping to talk about some things that I believe the world we live in has "conditioned" us to be like, how to think or how to be "successful" in this life. For me the past few days has been an eye opener to the way people have gotten to be in this day and age and the unfortunate sight I am seeing. However there is always hope and I can see ways to help reverse it, if only we will be disciplined and willing as the body of Christ. And honestly it isn't going to be easy, feel good all the time, and win us grandeur status in the world, but it will definitely win us much grander status in the Kingdom to come. 

The first thing I want to talk about is the servant's heart. Often times this phrase of "you have a servant's heart" is the equivalent to "go stack some chairs" as Christian comedian Tim Hawkins jokes....and other sorts of meager tasks. But today's society,(especially of recent) often seems to portray being a servant as something to be avoided at all costs. A demeaning term that somehow puts you as less than a human being and all the rights you deserve. Now the word servant is defined generally as a "person who performs duties for others" to which they general get paid. Another version which we as Christians often choose to align with is a "devoted and helpful follower or supporter". We as Christians are followers and supporters of Christ, therefore we do as He asks of us and try our best to follow His commands for our lives. And I would say we get significantly paid in the way of eternal life with Him in heaven some day. Our service to Him may not always be easy and comfortable but I believe the body of believers as a whole can agree that it is well worth it and we serve a loving, yet just God. We are no longer in bondage to sin but rather workers of Christ who promises to never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) 

The world paints an opposite picture. They tell you servanthood is "oppression". From an early age we are taught that we need to learn fend for ourselves. Do what is best for us, treat yourself, don't let anybody boss you around. Make your voice heard, make them fear you. The focus is placed primarily on "me". It is all about what you got to do and what you can do to climb up the ladder in life even if it is at the expense of someone else. And we wonder why we live in world where people cut others off, yell at each other when they don't do as each other say, trample each other on Black Friday, push people aside to catch the game winning ball, book out of social events early, and whine and complain to each other when so and so doesn't do something or doesn't appreciate us enough. It is because the world has trained us to have a devouring heart, not a servant's heart. We are conditioned to believe that somehow helping others out, letting someone else go first, doing something for someone else without being asked, helping even if the person doesn't appreciate it or give us words of praise...is somehow weakness on our part. That we are letting ourselves be walked over. But let me tell you there is a line between being verbally and physically abused into doing something out a fear, and between biting our tongue towards another fleshly selfish human who struggles just like we do, and choosing to them first anyway. And it is definitely not weakness. It takes great strength at times to die to ourselves and do as Jesus did towards others. It can be a intense struggle to sometimes put ourselves after someone with less than stellar attitude towards us. But are we perfect either? God has been convicting me lately of some aspects that I am forgetting about being servant-minded. Thoughts of why "can't it just be my turn", or "why do I have to be nice all the time", or "why do they need me all the time", have crept into my mind. But this is the sinful desire creeping in. As a servant of Christ we are not called to serve only when it is convenient for us, when we feel like it, or only when we are getting something out of the deal in return. We are called to serve irregardless of the circumstances. We have to die to ourselves, we have to see ourselves as less so that others can become more. "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility value others above yourselves." Phil. 2:3 (NIV) 

We have to change our way of thinking and what the world tells us to be and serve and "do to others as we want others to do to us" Matt. 7:12. And when we do that, I believe we will feel the difference. We will feel more at peace in our lives. We may not always get that warm and fuzzy feeling and pat on the back but we will have that knowing that we did the right thing. There will still be times when we do something for someone and no one notices, or a person rejects it and seems to spit ungratefulness right back at us. But our hearts need to be in the place where that doesn't matter to us and certainly shouldn't be the goal. Jesus dies on the cross for a bunch of people who spit on Him and shoved His gift to them right back in His face. He did it anyway though. Having a servant's heart isn't just for the best of times, it is for the worst of times. Because we serve a God who is greater than any success, fame, riches, or triumph that we could receive here on earth. He is greater than any pain or backlash we could receive from any human being. His reward is far greater than anything we could ever be "inconvenienced" to do for the most difficult person on the planet. As God's servants we could never be more free. We are under the love and protection of the Creator of the universe. All we have to do is give Him our best. If the world could teach everyone to stop putting themselves first and to start treating each other as we would want to be treated, I think a lot of problems would be alleviated in society. But until we take the negative connotation off of the phrase "servant's heart" then we will continue down this path of ripping each apart and trampling over one another in the hopes of having a vapor of success in this life. I am challenging myself to work harder at taking the focus on myself and putting others before me. Instead of thinking what can I do to accomplish what I need done for today, rather what can I accomplish for God today and for the people around me? We need to take the mindset into our families, our jobs, our churches, and into our every day life interactions. And we can make a difference, no matter how small it may seem. We may not see it right away or if at all in our lifetime, but we can rest in the fact that gave our very best instead of taking all that we could. Make it a daily prayer, and seek accountability. Because the awesome thing is, is that we are all in this together as believers of Christ. We can serve together and encourage one another on to selfless service to our Lord and the ones He died to save. Read the Scriptures about Jesus's acts of service here on earth. Take on a servant's heart with the confidence that you are not displaying weakness but rather courage to follow in our Savior's footsteps.  

Lesson from Heaven's Mountains

Hi everyone,
So I may have posted something along these lines before but this week I had yet again a reminder of a message I want to share. This past week we have had a couple of decent storm in my area and I had the privilege and yes I said privilege (I am somewhat of a weather geek ;), of watching a particular storm come in as I was taking a walk one late afternoon at home. My open field gave me the perfect wide open space to watch the storm roll in. And I was utterly mesmerized as I watched the clouds build, billow and roll as if I was watching mountains form in the sky. With the sun's light silhouetting the top and shooting off beams of light into the sky and the dark deeply intricate structure of the lower clouds it created a stunning contrast. As it came closer and closer the shapes and structure of the clouds constantly changed and adjusted; never staying the same for long. The towers grew, split and broadened, until finally in the space of about 30mins. The clouds were completely above me and all I could see was the blanket underside of heaven's mountains. As I sat waiting for the rain to begin, what I had just witnessed ran over in my head and I gained this insight from it:
I realized that I just got to see something that would never be seen again. I got to witness something that will never be replicated exactly again. That particular storm system, the exact structure and beauty of those clouds and their silhouette, trimmed in the sun's rays would never be seen again specifically in that way ever again. I got to see something that maybe no one else got to witness in the exact way that I did. Now I may just sound like a crazy person and not be making any sense at all but the gravity of this hit me. Life is constantly changing. Just like those clouds, life builds and grows and progresses right before our very eyes. It never stays the same for long and before you know it, things are no longer the way they were before. And we have a choice to make...are we going to stop and enjoy those special moments as they present themselves before our very eyes or are we going to let them slip right past us? I live in the Midwest and it is early summer...we get storms regularly. But every time I stop and get to witness one come in, it never ceases to be an amazing experience to watch. It is easy to just ignore and go on with our daily business because often we have things that need to be done before the storm hits and I'm not telling you, you are missing out on meaning in life because you don't watch storms...I am just trying to use it an example. It is a given that we are going to get storms and rain...it is the way of nature that God intends. It is also a given that the events and activities of a human lifetime are going to happen as well. But are we going to take them for granted and choose to see them as just markers in the "checklist" of life or are we going to stop a minute and enjoy it fully and truly? Because every thing in this life can change in an instant. Nothing ever stays the same. Just as the clouds build and pass through, so does the things in our lives. The birthdays, anniversaries, reunions, first steps, first words, graduation, college, retirement...Life is made up of thousands of special moments in between all of these things, these are just some big markers. And at some point I think we choose to treat every day like just another day, every moment like it is just another moment....but it's not. It is the only moment exactly like that one. That exact moment will never be replicated again. Much like the clouds I witnessed, you will never get to see that exact "picture" again. And the special thing is that you get to choose how you see it and how you will remember it and no one can take that away from you. I got to witness a gorgeous display of God's amazing atmospheric creation. I get to hold that memory in my heart knowing that I witnessed something that will never be seen again in that exact way and no one can ever take that away from me. I will cherish that moment. What if we chose to hold every moment God gives us in this life with the same joy? Because things will inevitably change...the storms of life will come. But if we choose to enjoy every moment that is given to us...every smile, conversation, time spent with a loved one, "I love you", laugh, act of service, life's "firsts", then I believe we will find the strength to carry through the tough times with God's ever faithful grace. Because for every first there is last. Who knows how many there are in between but we should choose to treat it as if it were the last time we would ever experience such a thing. The joy on a child's face when they play on a playground, the voice of a dear friend over the phone, the feeling of rain on our skin, the warmth of a fire, the light of a sunrise....if we choose to see and cherish the beauty of some of the simplest moments in our lives, I think we will stop seeing all the negative in this world and see how amazing life really is. And if we look at these moments through the lens of how life is "just a vapor" (James 4:4), then I think we will be more diligent about choosing to cherish what is most important instead if getting caught up in the day-to-day rat race of just getting by. Those moments will be the ones we remember when we get to the end or if we lose something that is dear to us in this life, not the moments we didn't cherish or pay attention to or wishing we had made. I have had a rough past two weeks and I have lost vision a little and have forgotten to cherish those little moments that make up a life. And I am reminded that no matter how frustrated, difficult,complicated or busy my life gets, I don't want to lose those days to just mere survival. I want to thrive and strive to see the beauty in every moment and to bring some of that beauty to others and help them to learn to do the same. Because like the every-changing clouds we all are subject to the every-changing life. But the one thing that doesn't have to change is our decision to enjoy the moments that God gives us. Whether they be 30 minutes or 30 seconds. Because He wants to give us something special that no one else can receive and we can hold onto that forever. And the one person that never changes is God. He keeps His promises and no matter what changes that life brings us, good or bad, He will never leave us and will bring us through on the other side if we choose to let Him. The One who creates the beauty of the clouds, commands those clouds. Never forget His power and love for us and the every day gifts He presents to us.

"And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." Luke 21:27 ESV