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 Ephesians 5:1-2 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. |
Christ Gave Himself Up God calls us through His word in Philippians 2:5, to have the same attitude as Jesus: Who, being the very nature of 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. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross! Wow, talk about giving it up! He gave Himself up in death for us in hopes that we would give ourselves up in life for Him.  I have
found that my flesh doesn't like giving up anything. It doesn't like to
give, forgive, bear in love or anything else that reflects the attitude of
Jesus. Therefore, it is necessary for me to forget my fleshly feelings and
walk by faith. To call on the name of the Lord from where my help comes. To
expect the same power that raised Jesus from the dead to work in me. And you
know what? As I give myself to God and submit to Him each time that my flesh
wants to resist, I am absolutely amazed at what He enables me to do in the
Spirit that is absolutely impossible for me to do in the flesh. He helps me
delight in giving myself to Him and others, from the biggest to the smallest
of ways. Like today, when God so graciously put my neighbor’s lost dog into
my path, just as I had prayed He would do, but then my freshly showered
flesh did not like the feel of her muddy wet paws running all over me and my
car seats. But one quick thought of Jesus and how dirty He got for me, and I
soon found myself holding that little muddy mutt. Yes, it is God who works
in me to help me want to, and be able to, give up even the small stuff for
His glory.Is there
something you need to give up for the glory of God? Invite Him to do a work
in you through the power of His Spirit that is alive in you. Let Him do
immeasurably more than you can ask or imagine. He wants to and He will. Go
for it! Give it to Him. And He will help you give it up.Prayer My Loving, Heavenly Father, Who did not spare your own Son, but gave Him up for me. Let me remember each moment of every day that I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me. Because he loved me and gave himself up as a fragrant offering and sacrifice, help me, by the power of Your Spirit, to give myself up, however, wherever and whenever you call me, in order to live a life of love for Your glory. Amen. Additional Scripture Hebrews 12:2-3; Ephesians 1:19-20 and 3:20; Romans 12:1
Becky Curtis
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NOTE: This page contains 5 devotions. Pick
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| Luke 1:38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” |
Half A Step Behind Have you ever been watching a marching band and noticed one person is off by half a beat? Perhaps it’s one of the drummers and his delayed step and halting drumbeat can be so distracting that it ruins the whole experience. Sometimes I’m that drummer in God’s band. I love
Jesus and want to serve Him, but find myself out of sync with the rest of
the band when I miss God. Oftentimes, I’m simply too busy to hear God’s
voice when He asks me to do something. If I take no time to read the Bible
and pray, listening for God’s voice, I miss many opportunities to be of
service. Other times, I pray and listen, then go on with my own agenda
(crossing “Pray” off the top of that list). Because my days are so full, I
am unable to act in the moment, as God so often needs me to do.Sometimes
I think I have the best solution and rush into a decision or action when God
wants me to wait. And then, of course, there are the times when I think God
couldn’t possibly want to use someone like me for something so great and I
react like Zechariah, disbelieving God’s call.Like most
things in my life, I know the proper response. When God calls, I need to be
available, receptive and willing. Like Mary, I need to say, “I am the Lord’s
servant. May it be to me as you have said.” If God wants to use my life in
ways that never lead to greatness, that’s okay. If God wants to ask me to do
something that is much larger than I am, that’s okay too. He’ll get the
glory for my actions. If I’m truly a servant, all of my actions will point
to Him.Prayer Lord Jesus, I want most of all to know you and serve you. Let my life be a reflection of You to all of those around me. Amen.
Kate Johnsen |
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| Luke 1:38 Mary responded, "I am the Lords servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true." And then the Angel left. |
Let Us Serve Before I was married, my mother gave me a copy of a 1950's article on How To Take Care Of Your Husband. It basically explained how to dress, cook and present yourself when in the presence of your husband. She gave it to me in jest, but it worked for millions of American housewives fifty years ago and was closer to the way my parents treated each other than the way that my husband and I do. I'm sure that if today’s husbands and wives adopted a servant mentality toward their spouse, we wouldn't have half of all marriages ending in divorce. It seems that nowadays we spend our time worried about our own schedules, our commitments, what we want and less time focused on the needs of those around us. I can only
imagine my husband’s response if I were to show up at the door in a dress
and apron, smiling brightly, with the children well groomed, and dinner on
the table (dessert and everything). Okay, maybe that's too much of a
stretch. But tonight, I think I'll smile sweetly at my husband and do
whatever he asks me to do for a change.Prayer Lord, let us serve you at all times, not just when it fits into our schedules. Let us drop everything and rush to worship you. Let us keep the miracle of the creation, life, death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ forever in our hearts and minds. Forgive us of our sins and bless our hearts with love. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Additional Scripture Matthew 2:21
Ruth Moorman
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| Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, not for harm, but for hope and a future." |
God's Call Have you heard the whispers of God in your ear? Has he revealed His plan for your life to you? If He has, are you responding? How so? A little
over a year ago, I met a man who had a God-sized vision. As he shared his
heart with me about the things God had spoken to him, he asked if I thought
he was crazy. I told him no, and as I listened to his story of where he had
been in his life and the things God had asked him to give up, I grew more
assured than ever that God had, indeed, spoken to him. Only God would call
him into a life of celibacy to serve Him. He knew he had to give up the
party life and the impurity he had been living in, in order to serve God in
this way.God had
called him to parent troubled youths. He began stepping out and answering
this call by going to classes to be a foster parent. He had already stepped
out in faith to take in a young man and become his guardian. He had no
previous parenting experience and didn't have a clue how to handle youths.
However, he was teachable and sought advice constantly. He just knew in his
heart that no child was ever so bad that the world should give up on them.God spoke
to me after meeting him and asked me to be his prayer warrior. Prayer was
something I could do! I committed myself to pray daily for him and his
mission. I began to see God at work immediately and as I followed God's lead
and obeyed his direction, I began to see this dream, this vision evolve.
Although it is still in progress, I see how God has grown this man through
his mission, how He has built his faith, empowered his mind and provided for
his needs when things looked dim. God works in all kinds of ways, with all
kinds of people and His purpose isn't always what we think it is. But it is
through our obedience that we walk in His will. Be it for us or someone
else. In this
experience, I have gained a dear friend and continue to pray for him daily -
some days, hourly! And he is still walking the journey God has laid before
him; growing in grace, learning about himself and the Lord, and discovering
his heart for others. God is doing miracles daily in the lives of the boys
he cares for. Boys that most people would toss out of their homes and into
institutions, or worse yet, the streets. This man never gives up and holds
tough, loving the boys through their trials and tribulations, their life
lessons and their heartaches. He is to me the face of Jesus through his
grace. It all
started by listening, obeying, sacrificing and risking to love the
unlovable. Isn't that what Jesus did? Okay, this guy is only human and not a
saint and can only do what he does because it is God's plan for him. God is
the one who makes it all happen. Prayer Lord God, You, indeed, have a plan for all of us. My commission may be as small as prayer support, or You may call me to financially support Your missions. You may call some to serve you with their hands. The fact remains that You call us all and then equip us with whatever is necessary to do Your will. Your glory is in our obedience to You. Praise You, Father, for the work You do in and through those who answer Your call. May they be blessed as they walk with You. Amen. Additional Scripture Ephesians 4:10-12; John 13:34; Genesis 27:8; Exodus 15:26
Sherry Canfarelli
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| Philippians 2:5-8 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. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! . |
Christian History: His-story As stated in one of the devotions written in Our Daily Bread, “The best way to know God’s will is to say ‘I Will’ to God.” Down through the history of both the Old and New Testaments of the Christian Bible, men and women have said “I will” to God’s will and became the attendants-in-waiting (servants) on the everlasting God. A servant of God holds a position of high dignity and privilege because God makes them companions and friends. Dr.
Charles Stanley stated in his book Into His Presence, “Those who have
aligned themselves with Christ through the ages, meaning those who have
accepted Him as Savior, are assured victory . . Make the assurance of
Christ’s ultimate victory [overcoming sin’s eternal death sentence] a
motivation to serve Him while you remain in this world.” Motivations
for service are many. For instance, God has delivered (rescued) us. Luke
1:74 says God remembers to do what He said He’d do - a clean rescue from the
enemy camp, so we can worship and serve Him without a care in the world. God
also protects us and assures us that He will never let us down, never walk
off and leave us, will always be there, ready to help. Therefore, we can be
fearless, no matter what, because when our Father is around, who or what can
get to us? And, of course, there is God’s ultimate gift of eternal life
through the grace of His Son, Jesus Christ. The ultimate gift from the
Ultimate Servant.Brothers
and sisters, the history of Christmas is His-story: (*) God in a manger; God
found in a form that no one could possibly fear, a God who came to serve and
save mankind. That’s the way it was. That’s the truth of the matter. Now, do
we love and serve Him who first loved and served us, or do we deny Him and
send Him away? (*) The gift our Lord seeks from you need not be wrapped. He
only wants your love. It’s an “His-storial” fact!
Prayer Dear Father God, let my service to you result in bringing those who do not yet know You into your wonderful kingdom. Empower me to serve and love others as Christ loves them and guard my intentions that they will not be misunderstood. Let others see Jesus - not me. Open the ears of our hearts, Lord, so we may hear You when You call and may we always answer, “Speak, for Your servant is listening. Here I am, send me.” I ask all this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Please and thank You. Yes! Additional Scripture John 12:26; Hebrews 13:5-6; Psalm 27; Revelation 21:6-7 (*) Taken from Our Daily Bread, copyright 2001, RBC Ministries
Pat Hedleston
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