Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. Praise the Lord for the Open Door He places before us that we may go out to serve Him. Jesus came not to be served but to serve. We get our significance by serving the Savior. In Luke 12:35-44, 48b, Jesus reminded the disciples that the very thing that they should be doing when He comes back is serving. When Jesus comes back, He wants to find servants who have given their hearts to live out God’s purpose and to serve the needs of others. This idea of servant-hood may be the most difficult thing for us to understand in our culture today. Servant-hood requires a mental shift, a change in your attitudes, and a change in your heart. God is always more interested in why we do something than in what we do. Attitudes count more than achievements. God is looking for people who are willing to fulfill their God-given purpose with a servant’s heart.
King Amaziah lost God’s favor because, although he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, he did not serve with a servant’s heart. Real servants are self forgetful. They focus on others, not themselves. True humility isn’t thinking less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves less. Paul said to forget yourself long enough to lend a helping hand. This is what it means to "lose your life"-- forgetting yourself in service to others. When we stop focusing on our own needs, we become aware of the needs around us. Jesus emptied himself and became a servant. When was the last time you emptied yourself for someone else’s benefit? You cannot be a servant if you are full of yourself. It’s only when we forget ourselves that we do the things that deserve to be remembered. After we hear the invitation to serve and embrace the opportunity, then Jesus calls us to realize the urgency. That sense of urgency comes because we don’t know when the master will return but we do know that his expectation is to find us serving Him. So, every day we are called to urgently live out the master’s will. We do this because we realize that time is running out regarding His return, and because we serve an audience of One. Our time is meant to be spent in doing the Master’s will and that His will is that we serve others and meet their needs in the name of Jesus Christ, sharing His love with them. We recognize we don’t have a lot of time. Every day we are faced with the opportunity of a new day to serve the will of the Master, never knowing when time will run out. No time is right or perfect for being a servant. There are always other things, , and circumstances pressing on us. Often we hear people say they don’t have time to serve. Jesus is saying that the urgency of not knowing when the Master will return leads us to one conclusion: the time is now. The fact is, when you are a servant and you realize the urgency, it can be inconvenient. When you are a servant, sometimes you have to put your desires and your needs on the back burner so you can serve others. It is all about having an attitude of urgency.
At the end of the day, as servants and followers of Jesus Christ, we realize this life is not about ourselves. On the contrary, it is all about meeting the needs of others. Servants always realize the urgency of helping someone else. S ervants are called not just to sacrifice but to sacrifice more. God wants all of us to give more of our time and to give more of ourselves. He wants us to be more available for his use. He is watching us. There is something about having a heart of urgency and recognizing the opportunity of the life Jesus has to offer. Serving is not a one-time opportunity. Being a servant is a life-long identity because Jesus wants us to be just like Him. Serving is a 24/7, 365 days a year thing. Serving is all about living out our true, life calling. Robbie Goldman tells the story of growing up. He recalls that his my mom and dad came up with a crazy idea in which the family would prepare a meal, then all go downtown and serve it to the homeless young people on the streets. He writes, "There we were, a little suburban family learning about what God could do with a little faith. It truly formed my way of serving. I recall where my youngest sister would have the plastic ware all neatly wrapped by the time my other sister and I came home from school. I can still remember smelling the incredible scent coming from the kitchen. We would then all rush to get our homework done so that when dad got home, we could be on our way. We all then loaded up to take the beautiful banquet downtown. Over the years as I grew, I watched as these young people we served would thank my parents, and more importantly, would thank us kids. They would always love to see what little costume my baby sister was wearing, which I think made them so happy to see her smile. I would serve the bread or whatever side dish was made, but mainly I think I did a lot of learning throughout those times. When people ask me, Why do I serve God so radically? I honestly cannot understand what they see as being so radical. It seems to me that what I do is very simple, and really the only way I know how to live for God. I learned radical service is only a perception from the outside. I learned that loving people and just being real to everyone is all it takes. That is why today I choose to serve God.”
May Jesus propel us to serve Him today with joy and obedience.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxKy_NxB398
Mon, 22/09/2008 - 2:22pm Image from St. James Church attack - Bangalore
Images from St. James Church attack in Bangalore on 21st September 2008. Case has been registered in Amruthalli police station in Bangalore. The government has promised action to punish the attackers.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, South India
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Mon, 22/09/2008 - 12:57pm Orissa flood situation
Bhubaneswar, Sep 22 - Despite falling water level in Orissa rivers including the virulent Mahanadi, relief operation in flood ravaged areas was today hit due to shortage of manpower and boats, worsening the plight of over six lakh marooned people.
posted in: Current Issue, , East India
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Mon, 22/09/2008 - 8:57am Violence continues in Kandhamal
Bhubaneswar: Contrary to the Orissa government’s claim, reports of arson and kidnapping were received at the Kandhamal district headquarters town on Sunday. Police received information that 10 houses were torched at Gochhapada police area on Saturday.The Hindu 21.09.08
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Mon, 22/09/2008 - 6:49am Civic authorities open church shut by them in Karnataka
DAVANGERE: A few officials of the Davangere City Corporation reportedly broke open the seal of the Nitya Jeeva Devalaya Church in Saraswathinagar here on Sunday, pasting a report on one of its walls stating that the documents submitted by it were in order and were authentic.
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Sun, 21/09/2008 - 4:08pm Runima Digal told the police in her written complaint that murders have threatened to leave christianity
Bhubaneswar, Sep 21 - Contrary to the Orissa government's claim that the situation in riot-hit Kandhamal district was returning to normalcy, reports of arson and kidnapping were received at the district headquarters town.
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Sun, 21/09/2008 - 4:03pm Two Churches near Cochin damaged in Kerala
Kochi:21st Sept.ANGAMALY (Kerala): Two churches, one of them among the oldest in India, were vandalised by unidentified people in the early hours of Sunday at Akapparambu in Nedumbassery panchayat, about 35 km from Kochi city.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, South India
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