Serving God and Man

Hi Friends,

I hope you are well. Almost three months ago, a Pastor and friend of mine, shared at a prayer group that God had warned him that the church was going to undergo a time of trouble from our enemy, the devil and his demons. He is not one to be overly sensational, or dramatic, but he shared with us, to be careful and not allow the enemy to take advantage of our flesh to spark arguments, or accept sickness and negativity coming the evil one.

I was not overly concerned, but now as I look back over the last few months, I have noticed that there has been a quite lot of difficulties, and challenges in families, jobs and relationships. However, we have seen miracles as well, especially in healing and deliverance.

I am sharing a vision which is quite different, from what the Lord has spoken to me in the past. He told me many times, “I don’t want you to do. I want you to be.” He wanted me to spend time with him and let go of several commitments that would have taken me far from him, had I continued to keep them. He asked me to give up my interior design business years ago, and then to give up finishing my masters degree. A year ago, he asked me to give up television, so I have not watched it since September 30, 2022. I do not miss it.

So I spend much of my time in intercession, for I believe that is my calling. But today, this vision is about “doing.” It is about our service to God and service to our fellow man.

The Vision

The White Plate

I saw two hands directly in front of me, handing me a plate and a napkin.  Printed on the surface of the plate were the words “God Bless You.”  The napkin was folded irregularly, somewhat like a triangle.

I believe that the message of this vision is very simple. “Serve as I served.”

We are to be the Lord’s disciples, to do what he did and to follow his teachings and commands.  The Lord came as a servant, and we are to follow his lead.

“For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Mark 10:45

Jesus came as God in the flesh.  He came as a teacher, as a savior and as a friend.  He came to die in our place.  He took a lowly posture, and humbled himself to become the perfect sacrifice for our sins.  He is Emmanuel - “God with us.”  

“You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Psalm 8:4-6

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.  But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.  Hebrews 2:7-9

700 years before Jesus came to earth in the flesh, the prophet Isaiah foretold that the Messiah would come as a suffering servant.  The following are his words, such a powerful prophecy:

The Suffering Servant

See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
Just as there were many who were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness—so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.

Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.  He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by man, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.  Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away.  Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.   

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my  righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.  Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12

Jesus came as an obedient servant to do the Father’s will.  As his disciples, we are to be obedient to him, for he is Lord, “Lord of All.” As he willingly laid down his life for us, we must be willing to become a living sacrifice, laying down our wills for his. The Lord showed me the plate and the napkin, because we are to be his servants, obeying his teachings and serving him faithfully.

We know that following the Lord and serving him is quite different from following the world and serving ourselves or worthless things. The world would have us seek popularity, to be well dressed, to be rich in money and possessions and to be beautiful. The world is about personal prestige, career, materialism, and clout. To chase after such things is a chase after the wind. This world is passing away, and everything in it will be nothing but dust. God is eternal; and so are heaven and hell.

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:2

The Lord sees the heart, and values selfless love, and faithfulness to him. Our flesh would have us seek pleasure rather than God. And the devil understands that the flesh opposes the Spirit, so he tempts us in areas of weakness. To be self-centered and serve ourselves is natural to our flesh. We can be tempted to align with the world’s values or ideologies if by doing so we gain something or avoid something. Praise the Lord, that Jesus did not succumb to the devil’s wiles.

And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.  If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”

And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” Luke 4:5-8

 The devil tempted Jesus with everything that the world has to offer, in exchange for worship to him. The devil tempts us with those very things: position, influence, material success and pleasures of all kinds. The Bible refers to this as “the pride of life.” Everyone of us will be tested. Are we able to be separate ourselves to God, and refuse to hold to the world’s values and its ideologies?

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”  1 John 2:15-17

“God Bless You”

So the vision concerns our service to the Lord. And the second idea conveyed is found in the words written on the plate:  “God Bless You.”

God wants to bless others through us. So when we serve others out of a love for the Lord, they will experience his love and blessing through us. As we serve others, we serve God.  And as they are blessed we are also blessed.

The Lord’s parable of the sheep and the goats shows us the importance of serving others who are less fortunate and need God’s love and support.

The Sheep and the Goats

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:34-46

We are to be the Lord’s ambassadors, carrying his love to others.  He wants us to share the gospel and to simply be available for his use.  As we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit, the Lord will use us to reach them. As we bless them, we bless the Lord, and in turn, we are blessed. Thank you Jesus!  

Good Works is not Salvation

I know that much of the world thinks that salvation can be earned by serving and doing good works. Please do not believe this, for it denies the cross and what the Lord did to purchase our salvation. We can do nothing to earn salvation, for it is simply a matter of faith in God. It is his blood that was shed for us, that made a way for us to come to the Father. There is no other way, but through Jesus and his cross!

When we turn away from sin, and give Jesus lordship over our lives, he forgives our sin and makes us the righteousness of Christ. This is not a casual “yes” to God. It is a commitment, a covenant or agreement that we make with the Lord. We turn away from the world, its values, and the sin that caused our separation from God, and we cling to him, for we belong to him.

“You are not your own, you were bought at a price.” 1 Corinthians 6:19

It is by faith in him, that we are saved and born again. At our new birth we are given the Holy Spirit to indwell us, and suddenly, we see everything anew. We are forever changed. God’s love and compassion moves us. With a grateful heart, we serve him in obedience and love.  

The Beatitudes

In the Lord’s teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, we see what God honors. It is by abiding in him and yielding to the Holy Spirit, that our character and nature begin to conform to his. We no longer think as the world thinks and do as the world does. We become a blessed people.   

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.   Matthew 5:2-12

So let us follow the Lord and choose to serve him.

Jesus Came to Serve

Jesus showed by example how we are to serve, when he washed his disciples' feet.  Even though he was their teacher, he humbled himself, and took the lowly position of a servant. 

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.  I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”  John 13:14-17

We see that once again, the Lord promises blessing to his faithful servants. And within this context of washing feet, Jesus revealed his true humility, and desire to serve.  Outwardly, he cleansed their feet. But Spiritually they were to receive a cleansing from sin, as he would became a servant of all, dying on the cross for their sins. We all deserve punishment and death for the sins we have commited, for we serve a Holy God, who cannot look upon sin.  But instead, he took our punishment upon himself. 

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”  2 Corinthians 5:21

By his shed blood, and our trust in him, we become righteous in his eyes.  We are made clean and spotless.  He was the ultimate and perfect sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. With his blood he purchased our freedom, for without his atoning sacrifice, we would all go to hell.

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”  1 Corinthians 6:19-20 

So let’s honor the Lord with all that we are, and all that we have. Let us serve him with grateful hearts and true devotion, for he is worthy.  He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.  He is the Author of Life; He is the Great I Am; He is the Way the Truth and the Life.  He is “Jesus,” which means “The Lord Saves.”   He is “Emmanuel,” meaning: “God with us.”  He is the Prince of Peace.  He is “The Word of God.”  He is our healer, our deliverer, and our peace! He is worthy!

So today—I pray that you will choose to follow him, to become his disciple. I pray that you will pick up the Bible and never lay it aside. Within its pages is the heart of God. He reveals his purpose, his will and his plans for us and all mankind. By spending time with him in prayer, we develop a sensitivity to his Spirit. Our faith in him increases and we can believe him for miracles, signs and wonders. Our desire to please him grows stronger with each passing day. Soon our love for him takes precedence over everything else in our lives. As we become more aligned with his will, accepting his lordship and purpose for our lives, we are given authority and power to do his will. We want to be an instrument in his hand, someone he can trust.

When we see God someday, we want to hear these words:

“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have be faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your Master’s happiness.” Matthew 25:23

So the ball is in our court. Let’s make a right choice, like Joshua said:

“Choose this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  Joshua 24:15

Thanks for reading.  Please share this message with others.

Be Blessed!