The theme – serving one another – attaches to Christian
living. Serve one another as Christ
desires for the church. Serving provides
an outlet for Jesus to shine through His followers. Servant by definition: a person who performs duties for others, especially
a person employed in a house on domestic duties or as a personal
attendant. Discernment between serving
Christ or serving this world may become difficult. Serving the latter creates a bitter,
resentful, exhausted heart. Serving the
latter sets up a trap of seeking approval in this world.
I find bitterness boiling inside way too often, leading to a huge pity
party which no one else cares to join.
Bitterness eats at every bone in my body, slowly leading to decay allowing
easy target for the enemy to break down my spirit. I work for approval - approval from loved
ones in order to keep them around. Fear
of rejection and being left alone drives such action. Bitterness ends up driving loved ones away.
I discover resentment creeping into situations that should be covered in
love. I fight the ‘what are you going to
do for me’ attitude when serving another.
When the favor never reciprocates, resentment sits in a little box
waiting to react. The box fills,
overflows and spews out onto loved ones.
The enemy grabs hold of such moment, taking every hurtful word and
creating a bigger wedge in relationships.
Resentment ends up destroying bonds between loved ones.
I sit exhausted after running 90MPH to please every person I
encounter. Exhaustion leads to anger, misunderstanding
and weakness. Anger lashes out when
asked to do something. Misunderstanding
leads to broken hearts. Weakness
destroys ability to think clearly.
Exhaustion ends up wounding loved ones.
After all is said and done, the enemy loves such a weak mind, body and
soul resulting from the above situations.
Serving our God somehow transferred into serving the world and seeking
approval. Somewhere along the path, the
enemy found a foothold and began to slowly move me in the wrong direction. I become someone unable to enjoy the blessing
of each day, lose characteristics of a true servant’s heart and weaken the bond
between my Father and I.
Thankfully, such condition can be reversed by the power of the Holy
Spirit dwelling within. Prayers
delivered and hands raised for the Holy Spirit to drown out the enemy provides
just what I need to discern service to God versus service to this world. We are to serve and love one another. We are not to become a doormat for
another. We are not to deny our feelings
of hurt from another. We are to walk
boldly in Christ and love the person He created. Scripture after Scripture provides a sturdy
foundation in our hearts, diminishing the enemy’s foothold. Yes, the enemy may work diligently to win us
over; but, His Word will come through louder and set our feet back into
place.
Take a stand today: may the Holy
Spirit be louder than the enemy in your every day! Serve one another as Christ has served the
church. 13 You, my
brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom
to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For
the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as
yourself.”
15 If you bite
and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. Galatians 5:13-15
Love one another. Serve one
another out of love not to seek approval.
Stand firm in His Word. Shine Jesus
onto others today! He will continue to poor strength into you as you choose Him over this world. Be the you He created; not the you someone else desires you to be. . .
Live life. . .One Day at a
time!
Sheree Craig
I am blessed to serve God alongside these wonderful kids who shine Jesus everyday!
