Are You Serving or Being Served? - Week 5

April 30 ~ Revelation 7:14
Then he told me, "These are those who come from the great tribulation, and they've washed their robes, scrubbed them clean in the blood of the Lamb. That's why they're standing before God's Throne. They serve him day and night in his Temple. The One on the Throne will pitch his tent there for them: no more hunger, no more thirst, no more scorching heat. The Lamb on the Throne will shepherd them, will lead them to spring waters of Life. And God will wipe every last tear from their eyes."

(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)

Have you had times in your life that brought you to tears? Have you felt huge burdens that caused you great sorrow? Have you been hungry and thirsty – physically, mentally, or Spiritually? Have you wondered if there truly was a way out – and if so, when it would come?

The answer is here… the answer is now… the answer is Jesus. The answer is to serve Him night and day – on this earth… in your community, your home, your school, your workplace… everywhere you are. The payoff is that God truly will wipe away every tear. A day will come when He really will feed you and lead you out of sorrow and into a time of abundance and plenty – mentally, physically and Spiritually, for all Eternity. No more “hunger”, - no more “thirst” – no more sadness or trouble or struggle of ANY kind! Think about this! This is incredible, amazing stuff! All we have to do is serve God, and love Him, and follow Him, and all of this and more will be ours in heaven.

How can we not do this? How can we possibly want anything else? I’m not saying that every minute of the day will be easy for us on this earth. I’m not saying that serving God won’t have challenges and be downright hard at times. But “keep your eye on the prize.” Focus on the future – YOUR future in heaven with Jesus. Focus on the Word of God and His promises, and stay faithful. Serve Him day and night in His Temple, so that some day you will stand before God’s Throne, where He will surely wipe away every last tear from your eyes.

©2008 Debbie Robus

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April 29 ~ 1 John 2:1
I write this, dear children, to guide you out of sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus. When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good—not only ours, but the whole world's.

(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)

Have you ever printed something from your computer, and it didn’t print right, so you did it again, and still it didn’t print right? Maybe you repeated this a couple more times, and you kept asking yourself, “What am I doing wrong?” Or maybe you misplaced something, and you went back to the SAME PLACE two or three times to look for it, as if it would magically appear where it had not been earlier. This is when you start to remember the phrase, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results!”

In the Old Testament days, the people must have felt a bit insane, as they had to continually offer sacrifices and burnt offerings for their sins. It must have seemed like they spent a great deal of their lives finding the perfect lamb or the fatted calf to offer as atonement for their transgressions and failures.I’ve said it before, but I am so glad that I did not live in Old Testament times. I am so grateful to Jesus Christ for serving as a living sacrifice for my sins. I am humbled and honored that He stood in the gap for me between my sinful nature and God’s abundant grace and mercy.

When someone does something really nice for you, it’s natural to want to reciprocate, isn’t it? There is NO WAY that I can ever give back to Jesus as much as He has given me, but that shouldn’t stop me from trying! How could I not give back all I can to One Who gave His very life for mine? Jesus served as a sacrifice for our sins… now it is time we served HIM with gladness. It is time we asked, “What else can I do for you today, Lord?” It’s time we make serving HIM our number one priority!

©2008 Debbie Robus

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April 28 ~ 1 Peter 2:4
Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you'll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedent: Look! I'm setting a stone in Zion, a cornerstone in the place of honor. Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation will never have cause to regret it. To you who trust him, he's a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him, The stone the workmen threw out is now the chief foundation stone. For the untrusting it's ... a stone to trip over, a boulder blocking the way. They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted.

(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)

When we were building our house, we watched as the carpenters poured footings… a trench filled with concrete that outlined our house. Stonemasons would set concrete blocks atop this footing, creating the foundation for our house. The steel-reinforced footing was our “cornerstone” – the anchor that holds our house firmly in place and melds it with the ground.

Later, these same stonemasons returned to cover the house with brick. They examined each brick as they placed it on the wall, and if they found a problem with one, they tossed it aside. Only the best bricks – the bricks that were square and true and good - made it. Notice I didn’t say perfect, because many bricks with minor flaws and blemishes could still be used. But those that were cracked or seriously damaged and structurally unsound were culled. For the next few days and weeks, we tripped over these culls and had to step around them. They were in our way, and eventually we piled them up in the dumpster to be hauled away for good.

In a Spiritual sense, we are God’s bricks. Christ is our cornerstone – our footing and foundation. We are the bricks. We are flawed and blemished – some more seriously than others. But yet God finds a use for us… a place in His “wall” of service for His kingdom. And just like the stonemason, God cannot use Spiritually unsound “bricks” – those that lack integrity and will affect the soundness of His structure (Kingdom). Those must be culled and hauled away – destined for an eternity in Hell.

I don’t know about you, but I know WHO anchors my foundation, and I am thrilled to be one of His bricks. I can’t imagine anything sadder than to consider myself one of God’s culls – and one of Satan’s bricks. Can you? It’s not too late to change. It’s not too late to turn to God, to recognize Him as your firm foundation, and to take your rightful place with Him. I pray today will be a day of change for you. Never, ever be a “cull” again. Serve the Lord with gladness, set your feet upon His rock, and celebrate your place in His sanctuary forever.

©2008 Debbie Robus

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April 27 ~ 2 Timothy 2:20
In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets—some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing.

(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)

WOW! That hit me square between the eyes – did it do that for you? Are you like a fine crystal goblet or silver platter for God? Or are you the waste can or compost bucket? Geez! I think some days I’m a little of both! But that is certainly not how I want it to be… do you?I love beautiful glassware and serving pieces. I go to auctions and search for them. I always intend to resell them, but quite a few make their way into my own cabinets and drawers. I love using them and admiring their beauty and how they may sparkle and shine and enhance whatever I put on them. I feel like something served on a beautiful dish can make a huge statement to others. It says “You are so special that I am serving you on the good stuff!”

On the other hand, there are times when the garbage can drawer in my kitchen can begin to take on a sick smell from the decomposition of raw meat wrappers, vegetable peels, eggshells, and day-old milk cartons. I try to make sure I don’t put things in that container that will rot and smell, but it does happen sometimes.

And isn’t that just how our lives are? We don’t necessarily mean to do or say rotten, smelly things, but somehow these things do happen sometimes. And we have that little “garbage can” corner of our lives that is not something we are proud of or want to share with others, but it is there, just the same. And then we have the “good stuff” – the pretty, sparkly, lovely areas that are a joy to others and pleasing to us – and more importantly, to God. The KEY is to have shelf and drawer and cupboard after shelf and drawer and cupboard of the good stuff in your life – containers that serve God well and are pleasing to Him and a great witness to others – and the smallest garbage can possible.

We celebrated Earth Day a few days ago, and there has been a lot of focus on how to reduce waste and trash and contributions to landfills. Ask God to show you how to reduce the waste in your life that is pulling you away from Him. Ask Him how to live in a way that is “eco-friendly to God” and continues to reduce your trash. Be the most lovely, beautiful container for God you can possibly be, and kick your garbage to the curb!

©2008 Debbie Robus