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How
To Serve Him? True
service comes from the overflow of a deep and personal relationship
with Jesus. Malachi 1 describes some priests who started performing
their service to God with a sense of duty and obligation. God was
upset with them. Why did this happen? Malachi 1 reveals that these
priests had lost their love for God. They no longer longed for Him.
The joy of their relationship with God was cold or maybe lukewarm
at best. Their
service was now a duty for men or themselves. It was not for God.
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With
good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men
. . . (NASB) Eph. 6:7 |
God
wants our service to flow from a love relationship. That was the
message Jesus sent the Apostle Peter in John 21:15-17. Love must
come before service.
Then God will call you into service. The Holy Spirit
will put a passion into your heart. He will place a desire within you to use
your spiritual gift in some area of
ministry. You should follow that desire and start ministering to others.
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Therefore
I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your
bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which
is your spiritual service of worship. (NASB) Rom. 12:1 |
Your
attitude should be that of serving God and not the people to whom you
minister. You should do it with all your heart. Jesus presented Himself
as a living sacrifice in order to forgive our sins. Romans 12:1-2
calls us to sacrifice ourselves for Him too!
Conclusion: After
Jesus had finished asking Peter three times, "Do you love Me?" Peter
finally cried because Jesus had questioned his love. Most Christians
remember that part, but we miss Jesus' next statement,
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Truly,
truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird
yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow
old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will
gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” Now
this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify
God. And when He had spoken this, He *said to him, “Follow
Me!” (NASB) John 21:18-19 |
Jesus
told Peter that he would die because he loved God. Jesus called Him
to love Him and then to die for Him. Service is loving Jesus to the
point of death.
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