Day 16 - Tuesday, October 27th
LIFE Journal
This Week's Memory Verse
Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18
Devotional
Living a life wholly dedicated to God is going to not only change how we spend our money, but also how we spend our time. True faith is going to result in action, not in an effort to earn God’s love, but because we already have it. The spiritual discipline of serving is two fold: as our relationship with Christ deepens, we will find ourselves looking for ways in which we can use our gifts, talents and time to help those within our church and outside of it. Like we say at The Exchange, serving becomes a part of our DNA when we have chosen to follow after Christ.
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10 NIV
The great evangelist Billy Graham said it this way, “The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless.”
Whether it is changing diapers in the nursery, checking in kids at LittleLIFE and KidLIFE, running lights, cleaning the building, or greeting guests at the door, every single act of serving in our church is one of worship. It may feel like what you’re doing is no big deal, but it is.
The same goes for every time you help a neighbor in need, serve at our local food pantry, or fulfill the responsibilities of loving your family. Serving others is a way to grow in understanding of who Jesus is. He came to serve and he didn’t have to. What an opportunity we have to know Him more fully by being like him in helping in our church and community.
Again it can feel like the one thing needed to engage in this habit is the one thing we don't have: time. But as we start to realign our priorities to match the ones God has for us, we can start to see opportunities suddenly open up. As we become more aware of the needs of those we encounter each and every day, we will start to realize that serving doesn’t have to be just in an allotted hour on Sunday, but rather something we can do throughout every moment of every day.
Think On This Verse:
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people... Ephesians 6:7 NIV
Ask and Answer:
How can you make it a habit to serve others? If you are not already plugged into serving at The Exchange, where can you get involved? What are some of your passions? What groups of people or organizations do you have a heart for? How can you serve with them? What might you need to say no to in order to say yes to serving? How can serving truly become an act of worship to the Lord?
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10 NIV
The great evangelist Billy Graham said it this way, “The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless.”
Whether it is changing diapers in the nursery, checking in kids at LittleLIFE and KidLIFE, running lights, cleaning the building, or greeting guests at the door, every single act of serving in our church is one of worship. It may feel like what you’re doing is no big deal, but it is.
The same goes for every time you help a neighbor in need, serve at our local food pantry, or fulfill the responsibilities of loving your family. Serving others is a way to grow in understanding of who Jesus is. He came to serve and he didn’t have to. What an opportunity we have to know Him more fully by being like him in helping in our church and community.
Again it can feel like the one thing needed to engage in this habit is the one thing we don't have: time. But as we start to realign our priorities to match the ones God has for us, we can start to see opportunities suddenly open up. As we become more aware of the needs of those we encounter each and every day, we will start to realize that serving doesn’t have to be just in an allotted hour on Sunday, but rather something we can do throughout every moment of every day.
Think On This Verse:
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people... Ephesians 6:7 NIV
Ask and Answer:
How can you make it a habit to serve others? If you are not already plugged into serving at The Exchange, where can you get involved? What are some of your passions? What groups of people or organizations do you have a heart for? How can you serve with them? What might you need to say no to in order to say yes to serving? How can serving truly become an act of worship to the Lord?
Prayer
Father, give me eyes to see the needs of those around me. Help me to make time to serve humbly as an act of worship to you. Use me to help make Renovation a place where those hurting and broken feel welcomed and loved. Take my gifts, talents and passions and show me how I can use them for your glory. Amen.