Served or Servant?

Which type of person do you want to be? The one who is served or the one who is the servant.

To many times I have watched as "members" of churches sit back and wait to be served. They sit in the pews and wait patiently for the music to end. Maybe they sing a few of the words to the "cool" worship music and, God forbid (it says no where in the Bible that raising your hands in worship is a sin, although some of the stares may say otherwise), raise there hands a little so people think they might be "Christians." Then they sit down, listen to what the pastor has to say, write a few notes so it looks as if they are interested, and then finish out their "Christian" duty by talking a little after the service. Before they can get to their car, they have forgotten what the message was about and they are already thinking about the football game or the beach that afternoon. Their "Christian" duty is done. What duty? To come to church and be "served" their weekly helping of God?

Why do I know so much about this? Because I've been there. I was "that guy" thinking I had God all figured out and everyone else fooled into thinking I was a good "Christian." Sure, I did some "extra" stuff. I helped out with the youth group some and was on the Carpet Color Committee. But it was empty service. Why, you might say? Because I was not serving with my heart; I was waiting to be served. Waiting to be served that line, "You are doing a great job serving god" (notice the little G in god there).

I have found a new level of service over the past few years. Service is an attitude. Service is a mentality that permeates your entire soul. I heard a great quote today in church, "You discover the heart of God through service." I also self-discovered that I am not a drummer, I am a servant. Calling me a drummer implies that I have some sort of status over another. Not the case. I am but a humble servant of Christ, peddling my abilities in order to serve an awesome and wonderful God through music.

I also finished the book of Joshua today. In Chapter 24, Joshua addresses the tribes of Israel before his death and point blank tells them what will happen when they serve God, and when they serve any other gods. "Now therefore fear the Lord and SERVE him in SINCERITY and FAITHFULNESS. Put away the gods" (that's not just pagan gods) "that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and SERVE the Lord" [vs.14].

Serve the Lord. Serve the Lord with SINCERITY and FAITHFULNESS. We must serve with our whole heart. We must serve with a sincere heart. We must serve with unwavering faith that God is there for us when we need Him, not just for us and our selfish interests, but for us in what we are doing for Him.

Be the servant, not the served.

Your humble servant,
Jesus Freak Out!

Cling-on Invasion

There needs to be a Cling-on invasion in this world. I'm not talking some Star Trek inspired, Beam Me Up Scotty invasion where some green monsters come down and attack. I'm talking a an invasion of souls. I'm talking an invasion of our lives and a consumption with everything that is Him, everything that is Christ.

In Joshua 22, Joshua is addressing some of the tribes of Israel as they return to the lands that God has set aside for them. Specifically, Joshua is addressing the tribes who kept all the Lord and Moses had commanded. But Joshua says something to these tribes that applies to our lives on so many levels (and some say the Old Testament is.............old): "Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, , to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to CLING to Him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul" (ESV). Jesus Christ commanded the same thing in the NEW Testament (Matthew 22:37).

We must "cling" to Him in all that we do. We must "serve" Him with all that we have. We must follow His "commandments" and live our lives for Him and in Him. He must invade our every thought, our every action, our every word and we must remain close to Him. It's hard enough to remain close to someone here on earth, let alone God. But still we must remain..........

Retreating from myself,
Jesus Freak Out!