Service: January 12, 2012

TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY JANUARY 12, 2012.

SERVICE

DEFINITION:

An act of helpful activity; the serving of God in obedience; work done in serving another.

SCRIPTURE:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

The apostle Paul, whose life we have used as our illustrations this week, also lived a life of service, second maybe to no one in Biblical history. God called Paul to a ministry of faith and service. No other person did more to spread the good news of the gospel and shape the history of Christianity than Paul. It was Paul whom Christ used to write 13 of the New Testament books and win the first European convert to Christianity (Acts 16:14).

Paul also lived a life of service by becoming a great missionary bringing many Jewish and countless Gentiles to a saving knowledge of the Lord. Paul was also used by God to explain many of the doctrines of the new faith. Paul suffered many hardships throughout much of his life for serving the Lord. He did not let any of his suffering deter him from preaching the gospel. Truly, the apostle Paul lived a life of service to His Lord after he had that encounter with God on the road to Damascus.

In the book of Romans we find many principles of service that Paul refers to in his life that we can apply to our lives. Paul was a person with unshakeable convictions and unswerving confidence in the gospel. These are the first two principles that believers today must grasp. How many people, including yourself, would you say you know that have unshakeable convictions and unswerving confidence in the Bible? One guideline would be to look at the Ten Commandments and see if any are broken in your daily life or in the lives of the believers you know.

Paul is blunt in his presentation as a preacher, evangelist or teacher, in calling sin what it is. He is equally strong in describing the all encompassing potential of God’s forgiveness for any and all of these sins through the provision of Jesus Christ. His message is always clear, without compromise and to the point. Paul also preached integrity with the truth. He insists that integrity and truth be incarnated into a practical day by day life, not simply as a system of thought.

Paul in his life of service to the believers constantly presented a solution to the frustrating sense of failure by describing one’s new life in Christ as a Spirit-filled life that brings triumph over condemnation and all adversity. Paul was a master in giving practical Biblical directives for the application of spiritual truth to the problems one faces in daily life. He showed people how to live what they believed. As believers today, we need to work on these principles. Read the book of Romans and you will understand the great truths of the gospel that Paul applied to his life of service. Consider how to apply these truths to your life today.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in James 1:5.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

PRAYER:

Help me today to learn how to live a life of service. Prepare my heart with the answers I need to serve You in someone’s time of need. Lead me to that person today where I can be used of You.