Experiencing God: Learning to be a Servant of God

Learning to be a Servant of God
To be a servant of God you must be moldable and remain in the hand of the Master.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in 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." --Philippians 2:5-7 




Many Scripture passages describe Jesus as God's servant. The Scripture above states what Paul said about Him.
      In His instruction to His disciples about servanthood, Jesus (the Son of man) described His own role of service: "Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve." --Matthew 20:26-28


     Jesus also us about our relationship to Him: "As the Father sent me, I am sending you." --John 20:21


 
      What is a servant? Write (or think) in your own words the definition of a servant.
 Did your defninition of a servant sound something like this: "A servant is one who finds out what his master wants him to do and then does it"? The world's concept of a servant is that the servant goes up to his master and says, "Master, what do you want me to do?" The master tells him, and the servant goes off and does it. That is not a Biblical concept of a servant.
      My understanding of a servant is more like the potter and the clay (See Jer. 18:1-6). The clay has to do two things. First of all, the clay has to be molded. It has to be responsive to the potter so the potter can make any instrument of his choosing. Then the clay has to do a second thing--remain in the potter's hand.
      Suppose the potter molds the clay into a cup. The cup has to remain in the potter's hands so he can use that cup in any way he chooses. When you come to God as His servant, He first wants you to allow Him to mold you and shape you into the instrument of His choosing. Then He can take your life and put it where He wills and work through it to accomplish His purposes.


   So, just a couple more questions now on being a servant:


1. How much can a servant do by himself?
2. When God works through a servant, how much can that servant do?
3. What are two things a servant must do to be used by God?


       If you have been living by the world's definition of a servant, this should concept should change your approach to serving God. You do not get orders and then go out and do them. You relate to God, you respond to Him, and adjust your life to Him so that He can do whatever He wants to do through you.


Elijah was God's Servant


     When Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal (A Canaanite fertility god) to prove whose God was the true God, he took a big rick in being a servant of God.

•  Read 1 Kings 18:16-39 and answer these questions.

              How many prophets of the other gods did Elijah have to face at Mt. Carmel?
              What test did Elijah propose to prove Who was the one true God?
              What did Elijah do at the altar of the Lord?
              At whose initiative did Elijah offer this challenge? His own or God's?
              What did he plan to prove through this experience?
               How did all the people respond?
               What was God's work in this event?
               What was Elijah's work in this event?


Did Elijah or God bring down fire from Heaven? God did. What was Elijah doing? Being obedient. Elijah had no ability to do what God was about to do. When God did something only He could do, all the people knew that He was the true God. And God did it through His obedient servant.


    Here's a few thought-provoking questions for you to consider as we wrap up this week's devotional. Please try to answer each one before moving onto the next one.


               What differences will there be between the quality of service and the quantity of lasting results when God is working and when you are working?
               What are you doing in your life personally and in your church that you know cannot be accomplished unless God intervenes?
               When we finish a task and feel frustrated that lasting spiritual fruit is not visible, could the reason be we are attempting very little only God can do?




"Don't Just Do Something"
       We are a "doing" people. We always want to be doing something. Once in a while someone will say, "Don't just stand there, do something!" I think God is crying out and shouting to us, "Don't just do something, stand there! Enter into a loving relationship with Me. Get to know Me. Adjust your life to Me. Let Me love you and reveal Myself to you as I work through you." A time will come when the doing will be called for, but we cannot skip the relationship. The relationship with God must come first.


                    FIND OUT WHERE THE MASTER IS, THEN THAT IS WHERE YOU NEED TO BE.


               "Jesus said, 'I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.'" --John 15:5


      Do you believe Him, that without Him you can do nothing? Without Him you can do nothing. He means that.
        Do you want to be a servant of God? Find out where the Master is, that is where you need to be. Find out what the Master is doing, that is what you need to be doing. Jesus said, "Whoever serves Me must follow Me, and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves Me." --John 12:26


Review Today's lesson. Pray and ask God to identify one or more statements or Scriptures that He wants you to understand, learn, or practice. Then respond to the following:


What was the most meaningful statement or Scripture I read today?




Reword the statement or Scripture into a prayer of response to God.




Practive quoting your Scripture memory verse aloud and/or writing it.


SUMMARY STATEMENTS:

• To be a servant of God, I must be moldable, and I must remain in the Master's hand.
• Apart from God, I can do nothing.
• With God working through me, I can do anything God can do.
• When I find out where the Master is, then I know that is where I need to be.
• I come to know God by experience as I obey Him and He accomplishes His work through me.

Have a wonderful week everybody, and God bless!