Today I've got some thoughts on serving God that I thought I would share - much of my life has revolved around serving God through music. Here are some bigger picture thoughts I had after reading Oswald Chambers recently.
The apostle Paul as you may know was went by his Hebrew name of Saul when he was a persecutor of the church, before his conversion... In GALATIANS 1 in the Message, Paul says 'Even then God had designs on me. Why, when I was still in my mother's womb he chose and called me out of sheer generosity! Now he has intervened and revealed his Son to me so that I might joyfully tell [everyone] about him.
Paul ended up falling in love with Jesus and it was out of that love that he was compelled to build and serve the Church.
Oswald Chambers says it this way - Service is the overflow which pours from a life filled with love and devotion. But strictly speaking, there is no call to that. Service is what I bring to the relationship and is the reflection of my identification with the nature of God. Service becomes a natural part of my life. God brings me into the proper relationship with Himself so that I can understand His call, and then I serve Him on my own out of a motivation of absolute love. Service to God is the deliberate love-gift of a nature that has heard the call of God. Service is an expression of my nature, and God’s call is an expression of His nature. Therefore, when I receive His nature and hear His call, His divine voice resounds throughout His nature and mine and the two become one in service. The Son of God reveals Himself in me, and out of devotion to Him service becomes my everyday way of life.
God bless you as you love and serve the Lord.
Jon,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! The kind of service you are speaking of takes on a very organic feel because it comes from the overflow of that which begins on the inside of us. I also think that it is interesting to note that the word "generosity" that Paul uses not only means giving liberally of oneself but it also means "freedom from meanness or smallness of mind or character.". Now that's what I call a servant's heart. :o)
Thanks again for your personal insights.
very interesting about the definition of generosity! thanks Kyla!
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