But made himself nothing...

Philippians 2:5-7 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God,did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing,taking the very nature of a servant,being made in human likeness.

Serving the Lord can be at times very interesting. And watching others serve the Lord can be equally interesting and disturbing. It can be very tempting to take on an air of self importance when one is serving. However, just the opposite should be the case. More of Jesus, less of us.

When we reflect upon the life and service of Jesus we can see one very marked character attribute. It is the attribute of humility. You do not read in the Bible of instances where Jesus was pompous, or arrogant. You do not read of cases where he put his needs above those he was serving. He was there because His Father sent Him. He was fulfilling the will of His Father. In healing the sick, the lame, and the blind, it was not about him. It was about serving others. It was about spreading the love of His Father to the many. He was not elevate, rather His Father was raised up. When He cast the demons out of people, he would not permit the demons to speak of Him (Mark 3:12). He reached out to those who served the will of God embracing them as His brother and sister and mother (Mark 3:35). Those who choose to serve the Lord should take counsel from Mark 7: 6-13. It is not about us, it is about God. Pride is a dangerous pitfall. It has tripped up many a servant. I know from my own experience that one should not let praise go to your head when serving. I was given that word of caution and have taken it to heart. The temptation is great, the risk is huge, and the reward is nothing. We who serve make ourselves nothing and the one we serve is made everything. Being praised for doing a good job serving can be discomforting. My suggestion is to offer thanks for the praise and to suggest that to God be the praise. It is a subtle reminder to you and it lets those who are praising you know that it is not about you. It is all about the One We Serve.

PRAYER: Lord of Hosts, thank You for the many opportunities we are offered to serve You. We are provided spiritual gifts to further Your kingdom. We use those gifts is serving our fellow man, and in serving You. Help us dear Lord. Help us with the faith we need to remain humble in our serving and mindful of who we are truly serving. Let there be more of You and less of us. We ask this in the name of the One who served all in humility. Your Son, Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with the Father and the Spirit. One God, now and forever. Amen

We also rejoice in our sufferings

Romans 5:3-5 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

I received a letter from my son Andy this past Tuesday. It was disturbing. He, and his fellow soldiers in the Fort Lewis-McChord stockade are being mistreated. I can imagine nothing more frustrating than to be innocent, imprisoned, and helpless to change that situation. This would be a faith challenging situation, or a faith strengthening situation depending on how you were to look at it.

 I wish that Andy could have access to this blog. I will not use it as a forum for commenting on or belittling anyone in particular. I will use it as a vehicle to help reinforce faith and witness to wrong doers. And so how would you feel if your son or daughter told you they were being mistreated by those who were appointed over you to assure your safety? Personally, I am at my more mild moments deeply saddened and at other times outraged. It also is a time of intense prayer for me. Andy is truly in the hands of God. I can not reach him. I can not hold him, comfort and reassure him. And so I ask God to cradle my son in His loving arms. I ask God to send his Holy Spirit to fill Andy with the faith he needs to survive this ordeal. And I pray for the hearts and souls of those who chose to mistreat him and his fellow soldiers. That is what I do, but what should Andy and all those being mistreated do?

We look at Romans 5:3-5 and gain tremendous insight into how we can deal with adversity in any form. We as Christians are constantly being shaped, refined, molded by our creator to carry out His will. There is a purpose to this. "Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." is what we read. How we handle adversity is important to us, and important to those who witness our situation. We are billboards for Christ. We are in the face of our fellow believers and nonbelievers and how we respond plays heavily into how others view our life in Christ. Do we project a persona of strength and belief? Or do we project a facade, a thin veneer that shows through to a rotten core below? Praying for those who would seek to mistreat us is how Jesus would respond. Praying for their forgiveness is exactly what Jesus did on the cross. In Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” It can be the most difficult thing for anyone to do, to pray for the forgiveness of those who wrong them. But that is what separates Christians from others. We have hope that others do not. The Apostle Paul reminds us, "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. That my friends in Christ makes all the difference. To God be all the glory.

PRAYER: Father, Abba, we pray to you today, and everyday for those who seek to harm us. We pray for those who would seek to bring difficulty to our lives. We pray for those who discriminate against us, assail our faith, or cause us physical harm or death. We pray that your forgiveness would be upon them. We pray that Your Holy Spirit would crack their hearts wide open so that the love of Christ would fill their hearts. We pray that just as we who were lost and then found by Jesus, so to would they be found and gathered as part of Your flock. We ask this in the name our Your Son, our Savior and Shepherd, Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit. One God, now and forever. Amen

Even if I am being poured out like a drink offering

Philippians 2:17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.

At some point in your life, if not already, you will experience the opportunity to be "poured out like a drink offering." You will sacrifice something so that someone or somebodies may benefit from that sacrifice. It is humbling to serve in this manner.

Parents are very familiar with the concept of sacrifice. We give up something of ourselves for our children. It may be that time we want to spend in pursuit of a hobby so that we can attend a child's sporting event. It may be that we put off or eliminate buying that toy we have longed for so that a child can have something we did not have growing up. That is what being a parent is all about.

The Apostle Paul is just like us, as parent. He fostered the birth and growth of congregations in Philippi, Ephesus, Galatia, and others. He poured out his heart and soul in his ministry so that the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ would spread and reside in the hearts of many. He did son while free, and in prison. Ultimately, his life was poured out and emptied spreading that same Good News. He gave the ultimate sacrifice. That last full measure of devotion to his Savior, Jesus Christ. He did not deny Jesus in his hour of need. He did not back down when doing so would have spared his life. It is a behavior learned from the study and emulation of the life of Jesus. Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice so that all men would be set free from the death in sin. (Check out the irony in the words of the High Priest Caiaphas from John 11:49-51) He did not back down, he did not deny His Father. He cared for his sheep, and left his Disciples to care for His sheep. The love for His children has been handed down to this very day to each and everyone of us. We too sacrifice to spread the Word. We give of ourselves in time, talent, and treasure to continue the ministries reaching out to the lost. We too are poured out like a drink offering and share the joy that Paul felt.

PRAYER: Our Father In Heaven we stand here today, the beneficiary of the sacrifice of so many. From the day of You Son dying on the cross and his resurrection all the way to present time others have given so that we might live now and eternally. Our lives are totally dependent upon the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. And for that, no words can adequately express our gratitude. We each, in turn, sacrifice so that others may learn of the wonderful gift of Your Grace. We ask Father for the faith, courage, and determination to continue even as we too are poured out like a drink offering. We offer this prayer in the name of Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen