Monthly Devotion - October 2023
WILLING TO SERVE GOD
"and whoever wants to be first must be your slave just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:27-28 NIV)
As followers of God, we are asked to take advantage of all the resources
we can find in this life and then use them to develop our ministry, the
end result of which will very much depend on the quality of our spiritual
maturity. It is possible to pastor a local church without ever being a
minister. But actually we are all called to be servants of God. The topic
of our meditation on: "Willingness to serve God" is focused
on the goal of how our willingness as disciples of Christ can fulfill
the call of service that God has set for each of us as the top priority
in this life. And that can only happen if we are willing to be formed
into disciples of Christ who are more and more like Christ. Let's pay
attention to our guide verse above which says, "and whoever wants
to be first must be your slave just as the Son of Man did not come
to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
(Matthew 20:27-28 NIV).
The Lord Jesus is willing to come upon this world as the Son of Man and
be an example for us. He came not to be served, but to serve and was willing
to give up His life to be a ransom for us all. Disciples of Christ who
are willing to be changed to be more like Christ will always be willing
to do whatever God commands, even when it feels uncomfortable. He will
always want to learn to put himself in the place that God has set. A Christ-like
servant will always want to be, in a place where God really wants him
to be, to do all His will. Christlike ministers will be willing to carry
out each task with dedication, even without anyone ordering it. Christlike
ministers will always want to be faithful to their ministry and also to
their leaders. Christlike ministers will want to remain humble.
In this month, let's explore and learn together how important it is for
our willingness to serve God who is King above all kings. But we also
need to realize that everyone has weaknesses. In fact, we all have a set
of weaknesses and imperfections, including: physical, emotional, intellectual,
and spiritual, and because of that we need to experience change. In the
GMI retreat at the end of October 2023, we will also discuss the topic:
"Josephs in our generation" (Genesis 50:20). Joseph became an
example of a person who underwent changes according to God's will and
His word, so that in the end he could be used by God to care for the Israelites
and also the nations. Many Christians are not ready to face the big changes
that will occur in this last age, so because of the limitations that exist
within them, there may be Christians who are tempted to say, that "I
am not ready to serve yet." God never asked us to wait until we are
perfect, then serve. Weaknesses cause us to depend on God and increase
our ability to obey His commandments more and more, so that we are also
strengthened to serve Him and our neighbors. Let's be a generation that
has willingness to serve God and others. Lord Jesus bless you, Amen!
By Pastor Silwanus Obadja M.Th.
...Monthly
Devotion - September 2023
...Monthly
Devotion - November 2023