One Day at a Time: Whom will you Serve?

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. ¹³You, 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. ¹⁴For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”¹⁵If 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. . .