WHEN PAUL SURRENDERED his life to Christ, he knew his life was no longer his own. He willingly gave up his rights and chose to become a bond slave to his Lord and Savior.
The same is true for us today. After we give our lives to the Lord, we don’t belong to ourselves anymore. We belong to Christ. It’s not a matter of what we want to do, but of what Christ wants to do through us. Our life should be one of servitude.
Jesus had an attitude of servitude from an early age. When He was 12 years old, He went to Jerusalem with His parents to celebrate Passover. Afterward, as Jesus’ parents were returning to their hometown, they did not realize that Jesus had stayed behind. After searching for Him, Joseph and Mary found Him in the Temple. When they asked Him to explain, Jesus replied, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49 NKJV).
We, too, must be about our Father’s business. While we are on the earth, we have work to do. Thank God for all the benefits we have in Christ. We’ve escaped eternal damnation, and we can walk in health and live in prosperity. But we would be negligent if we didn’t share what we have with others. Our life in Christ is about service. It’s about yielding to something greater than we are. When Jesus sent His disciples out, He said, “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matt. 10:8 NKJV). God gave each of us a gift, and He expects us to use our gifts in service to others.
Some people have gifts and talents but don’t use them. We must not allow our gifts to become dormant. Paul told Timothy to “stir up the gift of God which is in you” (2 Tim. 1:6 NKJV). We nourish our gifts by actively using them. One of the best ways to do this is by being involved in your local church or hooking up with a ministry.
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”
Kenneth E. Hagin often said, “Never pray, ‘Lord, bless me.’ Instead, pray, ‘Lord, make me a blessing.’ ” When we give ourselves to the Lord this way, God will make us a part of something bigger than we are.
God will plant us in a local church or connect us to a ministry. He will join us to something that is greater than we are. And when we’re part of something that’s greater than any man is, we’re part of a mandate from Heaven.
Some people may struggle with this because they don’t want to give themselves wholeheartedly to the Lord or to anybody else. But I’m not suggesting that we follow a man; I’m suggesting that we hook up with what God has placed inside us.
Are you using your faith to reach the backslider? Are you using your faith to get people filled with the Holy Spirit? Are you using your faith to see that people are set free from the bonds of the devil? If not, it’s time to be a part of something greater than yourself.
God has not called us to live apart from other people. He’s called us to minister to those around us. So let’s commit to following Paul’s example and live a life of service.
Author
Tad Gregurich
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