February 10 2015

February 10 2015 Greetings My Friend Today’s Bible reading taught me once more that Jesus came to serve and not to be served. This is a powerful message for me and I also have to change some of my thinking. I have a servant’s mindset quite a bit in my life only I allowed people to take advantage of me more than being a servant. I was in need of love and to get it I would allow many unwholesome things to enter into my life. Part of my growing into servanthood is learning the word “no” for someone’s good. Being a “yes” person just to be liked is harmful to both myself and the other person. I use Agape love as my guiding principle to servanthood. Agape love is seeking another person’s highest good so I need to think about why I am doing for another person. The Bible shows me this lesson in the OT. God frees the Israelis’ and does one miracle after another. The Israelis’ are in awe of God’s amazing feats then they forget about His ability to provide almost immediately. He tells them time and again what they need to do, trust and obey but they soon are off on their own agenda again. At times God’s people are sent correction in the form of famine, slavery and the like. The people learn and grow only to fall again in short order. God gave Israel manna in the desert, water out of a rock and then God said “go and do” and the people forgot that God could make happen what He was asking them to do. God served the people, the people took God for granted at some point God sent punishment until they got the point. Jesus came to serve and not to be served reminds me He too taught, showed and people forgot almost immediately. Today I see times where God is correcting me sometimes in the wilderness of life. As I grow God takes me from the wilderness into His presence deeper. I learn that God corrects those that He loves. If we have a heart to grow and learn God will correct us for our good. Serving is often about correcting as much as giving. Junior has told me often that as the leader of our home, he is a servant first. He seeks my highest good first and foremost. In the seeking my best he is serving me. Once in a while he needs to tell me that something is not right, goes against God etc. He does it with gentleness and is firm as well. He does not go against his walk with God to correct me. Most of my life when I did something wrong, even the pets did something wrong there was a scolding and a pulling away not moving back to me. Through the years I watched Junior correct our puppies. He scolds them, sends them outside and when they come back in he loves on them. In this way the dogs begin to learn to quit pottying in the house. They want to make him happy. Sometimes I giggle at Junior’s correcting voice. He is firm but sometimes he growls at them in a gentle firm way. He doesn’t use every swear word in his vocabulary or throw them across the room, he taps at them with a rolled up magazine or with his hand gently as he says “no.” For me correction always meant severe consequences. I watch our dogs grow with Junior’s type of serving and loving and correcting. As I learn Junior’s way of serving I see God’s servanthood with new eyes. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet