Are you a servant? Yes, but…
YES!!! You are a servant!
How do I know that?
The Bible tells me so (Just like in the song–How do we know Jesus loves us? The Bible tells us!)
Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. Isaiah 42:1
God delights in us…
Isn’t that awesome?
So, if we accept that we are chosen by God to be His servant, how do we answer that call to serve?
- We open our ears and heart to God’s call.
- We pray that God will show us the plan He has for us in service to Him.
- We pray for wisdom to make the choices that will best serve our Lord.
Pray, pray, pray…
Why is this so important?
Here’s where the BUT comes in…
When we actively engage in service to our Lord, all sorts of roadblocks spring up in our path to discourage us.
When we accept God’s call to service, we will be bombarded with requests to serve. We often become overwhelmed with the tasks we take on in service to others. If we aren’t careful we take on so much that we become exhausted and resentful. In many cases, we are criticized for our efforts. In the worst case scenario, we may become so discouraged that we pull back completely from service.
So what to do?
- Continue to pray and seek God’s guidance.
- Say yes to service, but prayerfully consider each request. Recognize that we are called to serve our Lord and others (His children), but we must protect our health and well-being in order to be able to fulfill our mission of service to others.
- Recognize that sometime we are leaders, but at other times, we are followers. Humans are social beings–we are not meant to live in a vacuum. Encourage others to participate with you in service. At times, others will be leaders and you will follow their guidance. In a different situation–you may be in the leadership position. While that can lead to additional stress for you, it will also allow you to best utilize the gifts God has given you to use in service to others.
- Recognize that you need a sounding board–a spouse, family member, close friend, colleague–someone that you can trust to discuss important decisions. This person can help you keep situations in perspective and can provide you with neutral input in situations where you may need to make difficult decisions.
You may have other suggestions as to how to best serve your Lord while still keeping this work at a manageable level. If so, please comment and share your strategies and ideas. I know your suggestions will be a blessing to me and others.
I’m continuing to pray about my journey of service to God. If I can pray for you, please send me a message (on the contact tab).
There are so many needs and our God is saying–“Whom shall I send?” I hope and pray that we can respond with, “Send me!”
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, “Here I am. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8
I used to think I had to do everything that was asked of me. From my thinking “I’m doing this for the Lord” to my people pleasing tendencies, I would fill my plate til it was overflowing. This caused me to burn the candle at both ends, be fearful that I would let someone down, and then end miserable. Not to mention that I couldn’t give 100% to all things. Then I would beat myself us over it.
After many years of doing and doing, I was in a Bible study and I could not get the homework completed. I was tried but I just couldn’t make myself. Every night I either rushed thru or skipped parts, if I could even open the book. Guilt set in. Surely something must be wrong with me? I should want to do Bible Study. I was reading my Bible. But could not get into the study at all. About the 3rd or 4th week, God showed me that I signed up for Bible study out of obligation and to please others. No wonder I could not get into it. It wasn’t for me. He showed me that I signed up without even praying about it. That I was more worried about what people would think if I didn’t join in.
For a few weeks I began to pray and seek Him in many areas of my life. Every message I heard, every lesson I heard, lessons I studied, and even conversations seemed to hit on being obedient and seeking God in all things.
One thing that was said that still helps me to this day is… “there are lots of ways to serve the Lord and be obedient to Him, but that doesn’t mean that I have to do all of them all the time”
And I do not need to do anything to please others. Only the Lord!
Thank you for this post! It helped remind me of what it’s like to serve and serve well!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful testimony, Piper. Many of us have been in this situation, but haven’t been courageousness enough to recognize that we accepted duties without God’s guidance. Often, in those cases, disaster is the result. You’ve shown us the pathway to make decisions according to His will and not because of guilt or the prodding of others. Thank you–wishing you continued blessings in your life of service.
Love this, I sign most of my correspondence, Saved to serve. When we realize we are the servants of the Most High God, joy should follow. Thanks for the reminder.
Thank you, Cherrilynn. What a wonderful signature–“saved to serve.” A beautiful reminder to all who read your correspondence. Wishing you blessings in your ongoing journey of service.
I can relate to having too much going on. At one point, I realized that I could do certain acts of service, but were they what God wanted me to do? So staying close to God and praying about things are excellent reminders! Thank you.
Thanks for stopping by, Katy! You are so right! When we get too busy, we lose sight of the most important thing–our Lord and God. Only by staying close within His protective embrace (therefore not so busy that we don’t take time to stay in His word and seek His guidance), can we accept the responsibilities that will most serve Him. Wishing you blessings!