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My church has been in a series for the past few months called "Here to Serve." The angle is not why we should be serving but more the heart of the type of serving that God desires. Let me just tell you. It has been incredible.
Today, God was clearly speaking to me. I'm convinced that this is just the beginning for me. I can feel God stirring something up in me that will have long-lasting results.
Our pastor today started with asking us, "How do you know if you're serving the Lord well?" He said that so much of the time, we live as if we need to serve for God. But, the tricky things is that when we make serving into something we do for God, it is an obligation.
Then he shared a number of scriptures of God asking people to do specific things and asked us to pay attention to what stuck out in all of the passages. See if you can see what sticks out. I'll make it easy for you, even!
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Genesis 31:1-3 "Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.” And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been. Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”
Exodus 3:11-12 "But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”
Joshua 1:5-6 "No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them."
Judges 6:15-16 "“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
2 Samuel 7:8-9 "Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth."
Jeremiah 1:7-9 "But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord. Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, 'I have put my words in your mouth.'"
Luke 1:27-28 "The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.'"
Matthew 28:19-20 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Acts 18:9-11 "One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: 'Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.' So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God."
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Did you see it? It was never about what they were called to do. There was something else. Every time He called them, He promised that He would go WITH them.
God wants to use us to change the world. But He wants to do it with us.
I need to remind myself that it isn't just about inviting God into what I am doing, but joining in with Him in what He is already doing. Cause He is. He is always working in and through and around us. And He wants us to be a part of it.
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