Servant Resources

What Does It Mean To Be Filled?

Jesus says in Matthew 5 that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled. What does being filled look like?

 

Imagine a glass of water that is so full that the surface of the water peaks above the rim of the glass.  It is physically impossible to move the glass without spilling some of the water.  That’s what I envision what being filled looks like. Being so full that even the slightest movement around you means that some of Jesus spills out.  If you are jostled or bumped, Jesus spills over.  If you are tipped to the side, or your life is turned upside down, Jesus spills over. In fact, the more you are shaken by the world around you, the more the presence of Jesus becomes evident.  He can’t be hidden when you are full.

Jesus Clears the Temple of My Life

Each of the gospels mentions Jesus clearing the temple.[1] Mark tells us that Jesus entered the temple area the night before, looked around at everything and left since it was late in the day.[2] I’ve always thought that it was odd for him to go just to look around. But as I thought about it, he was showing up at his father’s house at an unexpected time to check on things, to see the condition of the temple.

 

The scriptures tell us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit;[3] that he dwells in us. Recently I’ve felt as if Jesus dropped by my life to check in on my temple, just to check on things. I have to say that not everything was in order. There were some areas where I had picked up some of the things of the world, a philosophy here, an attitude there. Little by little the outer courts of my temple had become a place where the world could easily do business—just like the condition Jesus found that day in Jerusalem.

 

A few observations from the text that can be helpful in considering the condition of your spiritual temple:

 

·          Jesus’ response to the buying and selling in the temple courts was a violent, forceful one. He made a whip and drove them out; he flipped over tables of money. In the same way, once something is revealed in our life that is not of him, we must respond forcefully, to drive it out.

 

·          The condition of the temple was uncovered after a tremendous victory celebration—Jesus had just come into Jerusalem in triumphal celebration while the crowds honored him.[4] Beware of the tendency to give in to temptation following a triumph or victory in your own life. Temptation waits in the valley as you descend from the mountaintop.

 

Jesus tells a sobering story about an evil spirit returning to a man with seven additional spirits worse than himself, after being cast out.[5] He finds the man clean and his life in order, but he reenters because the “house” of the man was unoccupied. We must not fall into the trap of thinking our work is done just because we’ve put our house in order. We must continually guard against anything creeping back in once victory has been established. Our walk with God is a daily walk, and we’re never done turning things over to him.

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[1] John 2:12-22

[2] Mark 11:11

[3] 1 Corinthians 6:19

[4] Mark 11:1-10

[5] Matthew 12:43-45

I Have No One Else Like Him

Paul wrote these words of Timothy his co-laborer in the faith. How often is that said of us? To provide so much capable assistance, clear thinking, hard effort and cheerful responsiveness that we are clearly making an impact.

 

Paul mentions two particular traits that Timothy exhibited that we can learn from. One of the things that separated him from the pack was that he took genuine interest in the welfare of others; the other was that he proved himself by his service to Paul.

 

Genuine interest and service. Am I aware of the needs others are facing all around me and do I care enough to do something about it? Am I joyfully serving those whom God has placed in positions of authority above me?

 

Seems to me these two areas are the foundation of an exceptional life.

Corporate Turnaround Artist - Part 9

Principle 1 – Begin by committing to do what is right

Principle 2 – Stay on track by observing six spiritual disciplines

Principle 3 – Address moral issues first

Principle 4 – Lay out the plan for what you want to accomplish

Principle 5 – Open closed doors

Principle 6 – Commit to action

Principle 7 – Call your leaders higher

Principle 8 – Clearly explain your intention

Principle 9 – Remind others of their calling

In speaking with the leaders of the nation, Hezekiah addressed them by speaking directly into their vocation. Appealing to those you lead on the basis of their professional role accomplishes one of two things; they will either rise to the occasion, because you are tapping into their passion; or they will not engage wholeheartedly because it does not resonate with the deepest calling on their lives.

God has gifted men and women in a great many ways. They can choose whether or not to put those gifts into his service or use them for their own purposes. I believe that he has a calling for each individual on earth, and the scriptures teach us that his gifts and his calling are irrevocable.[1] 

Hezekiah spoke of 4 primary duties to fulfill within their calling as they operated under his leadership. First, he told them to stand. Specifically, Hezekiah asked them to “stand before.” A leader is to stand before those he leads as an example; he does not stand behind them pushing them along; he stands in front of them and calls them forward. To stand before others is to be willing to assert as Paul did; “follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”[2]

Secondly, he encouraged them to serve. Someone who calls themselves a leader, but does not serve, is not a leader. Service is the essence of leadership. That service may take many forms; indeed it may not appear to be service at all. The apostles in the early church recognized this when they stated that it would not be right for them to “neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.”[3] They recognized that their service was to give their attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.

To some, this would look like haughtiness. Jesus had served them by washing their feet, but they couldn’t stop what they were doing to help serve widows? But it is not haughtiness at all. Jesus washed their feet as an example; he didn’t continue to wash feet after that particular time. He didn’t make a career out of washing feet. Likewise, the apostles weren’t speaking of an unwillingness to assist, but recognized that if they spent all of their time waiting on tables, their true mission would be neglected.

Thirdly, Hezekiah called his leaders to minister. To minister is to care for or tend after a person or group. The primary calling of a leader is to minister into the lives of others. They are to pour themselves into those that they lead. It is not a calling to simply direct others in the tasks assigned, but to call them to a place of ministry. A place where they are caring deeply for the lives of those over whom they have been given responsibility.

Ministry takes place in a variety of ways. It occurs in the workplace as well as the marketplace. The important issue is not so much in what that ministry entails, but whether or not your ministry to others is focused on them or on yourself. I’ve seen a lot of ministry come from a self-serving place; out of a desire for someone to lift themselves up and fill their own needs by reaching out to others. It’s often done out of a desire to feel important, or to show that they have capacity to give. Regardless of the reason, ministry that is done for any other purpose other than to honor God is not really ministry at all.

The last thing that Hezekiah calls his leaders to do is to burn incense. Burning incense before the Lord was one of their primary responsibilities. This seems to be of such insignificance in terms of the larger responsibilities of leadership. But the intrinsic value of what we do is not as important as paying attention to what we are called to do. It is often the small things that get overlooked. And lack of attention to the details is the downfall of a great many leaders.

When you speak into the lives of those who lead under you, remember to call them to stand before the Lord and those they lead in confident expectation of His power working in them and through them. Remind them that they are called first and foremost to serve and to minister out of the wealth that God has placed in them for the sake of others. And encourage them to focus on the things that God has called them to do, no matter how insignificant they may appear to be.

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[1] Romans 11:29

[2] 1 Corinthians 11:1

[3] Acts 6:2

What Have You Accomplished?

The follower of Christ is one who leaves a trail of accomplishment behind them.

 

There are two separate and distinct reactions to that statement. Some will read it and agree wholeheartedly, others will say it’s not so because it makes them angry or disheartened. Your reaction will be based, in part on how you define accomplishment.

 

I know of missionaries who toil for years and see very few come to Christ. I know of parents who sought to raise their children in the ways of the Lord, only to see them walk away from the faith. I know of others who have lost their jobs and are uncertain of how to find a way forward.

 

How do these circumstances align with accomplishment?

 

Accomplishment goes beyond the results we can readily see. Like most spiritual matters, we have to look beyond the temporal world surrounding us to really see what God is doing. The missionary accomplished great faithfulness, the parents accomplished an expression of the love of God and the job seeker is accomplishing faith. These accomplishments are no less important than a track record of successes that can easily be pointed to.

 

The scripture is the only basis for our perspective of God and the world around us, and it tells us that “all that we have accomplished, (he) has done for us.”[1] This conveys to me that (1) the Christian is one who leaves a trail of accomplishment behind them and (2) God is the author and finisher of that accomplishment. In other words, what he writes into the script for our lives (author) will bring accomplishment as he defines it. It will also be made complete and fulfilled (finisher) in our lives. Often in ways that we fail to recognize.

 

The point is, that he is accomplishing through you and in you. It’s up to you to put on your spiritual glasses to see it. If you don’t expect it and don’t look for it, you rob yourself of the joy of seeing it.

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[1] Isaiah 26:12