How to Serve God Out of Delight

In Romans 12:3 I read, “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” (NLT)

I need to listen to my heart. While that sounds like pop culture fodder, the Bible says that’s what God wants me to do. He wants me to look at what I’m made to do in order to know what he wants me to do. But most people these days are moving so fast that they don’t have time to listen to their heart anymore.

People all over the world are speeding along with no direction. They’re in such a hurry, stressed with too much to do, and they won’t realize until it’s too late that they didn’t have to do so much.

This isn’t the plan God has for me. He wants me to slow down and listen to my heart. Romans 12:3 says, “.. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves ..” (NLT).

I need to get alone with God and ask myself these questions:

What do I love to do?

What do I dream of doing?

What fascinates me?

What can I talk about, think about, and study all day without getting bored?

Where have I been most effective in my life?

I serve God out of my design and the way he shaped me. I serve God not out of duty, force, or guilt but because I love him. Because when I do what he wired me to do, it brings glory to him.

I need to make a careful exploration of who I am and the work I’ve been given, in other words, of what God put me on earth to do. Then serve God out of delight and gratitude. That’s the way to live.

In summary, I shouldn’t think I’m better than I really am. I need to be honest in my evaluation of myself, measuring myself by the faith God has given me.The Bible says to listen to my heart about what God wants me to do. He wants me to look at what I’m made to do in order to know what he wants me to do. I need to avoid speeding along with no direction, or being in such a hurry, stressed with too much to do, that I don’t realize until it’s too late that I didn’t need to do so much. This isn’t the plan God has for me. He wants me to slow down and listen to my heart. So I need to get alone with God and ask myself: What do I love to do? Dream of doing? What fascinates me? What can I talk about, think about, and study all day without getting bored? Where have I been most effective in my life? I serve God out of my design and the way he shaped me. I serve God not out of duty, force, or guilt but because I love him. Because when I do what he wired me to do, it brings glory to him. So I need to make a careful exploration of who I am and the work I’ve been given, Then serve God out of delight and gratitude. 

Healthy self-esteem is important because I often think too little of myself; on the other hand, I need to be careful to not overestimate myself. The key to an honest and accurate self-evaluation is knowing the basis of my own self-worth, which is my identity in Christ. Apart from him, I'm not capable of very much by eternal standards; in him, I am valuable and capable of worthy service. Evaluating myself by the worldly standards of success and achievement can cause me to think too much about my worth in the eyes of others and thus miss my true value in God's eyes.

Lord, I need you. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can believe in, have faith and to trust you in everything including being the authority for my life, my self-worth and my future. You have my best interests in mind. Help me to embrace the way you’ve made, gifted and given me a passion for. I want to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. I ask you for wisdom and guidance in this and for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, my preparation for a future job role and for leading a small group. I pray these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Letting God Focus My Passions

In Revelation 3:20 I read, “Look, I’m standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I’ll come in and we’ll eat together.” (GW)

God gave me a heart, and he has placed in me passions, desires, and dreams. But unless they are under his control, they will be misused and abused—or lie dormant and wasted—in my life.

All around the world, millions of passionate people are misusing and abusing their interests and ambitions. And it breaks God’s heart. That’s why, in spite of their talent and passion, those people are unhappy. When my passions are misused, it makes me miserable.

I might even be thinking, “I’m not really passionate about anything right now.” This means I am disconnected from God. I cannot be connected to God and dispassionate. When I’m plugged in to God, it’s like plugging in to a power supply. I get passionate!

God is a passionate God. The only reason I have emotions is because I’m made in his image. God is emotional. God gets jealous when he sees me ignoring him for something else. God loves me with an everlasting love. And no matter what I do, he will always love me. That’s passion!

When I spend time with God on a daily basis and get plugged in to his passion, I can’t help but be passionate myself. I start to develop God’s heart for the world. I start to feel the way he does. Who I hang out with really does make a difference. When I spend time with God, I become more like him.

The word “enthusiasm” comes from the Greek words en theos, meaning “in God.” When I get en theos, I’m going to be enthusiastic. The closer I get to God, the more energy, vitality, and passion I’ll have in life. The further away I get, the more bored and apathetic I become with life.

To get closer to God, I’ve got to open my heart to him.

“Look, I’m standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I’ll come in and we’ll eat together” (Revelation 3:20 GW).

Jesus Christ has been standing and knocking at the door of my life for a long time. He wants to come in and help me use my passion in positive ways. But he’s a gentleman. He’s not going to bust the door down.

I’ve got to open it up.

In summary, Christ stands at my door and knocks. If I listen to his voice and open the door, he’ll come in and have fellowship with me. God has placed in me passions, desires, and dreams. But unless they are under his control, I will misuse, abuse, or allow them to lay dormant and wasted. It breaks God’s heart to see millions of passionate people misusing and abusing their interests and ambitions. That’s a key reason why those people are unhappy. When passions are misused, you become miserable. I know at times I think, “I’m not really passionate about anything right now.” This is because I am disconnected from God. I cannot be connected to God and dispassionate. When I’m plugged in to God, it’s like plugging in to a power supply. I get passionate! God gets jealous when he sees me ignoring him for something else. God loves me with an everlasting love. And no matter what I do, he will always love me. When I spend time with God on a daily basis and get plugged in to his passion, I can’t help but be passionate myself. I start to develop God’s heart for the world. I start to feel the way he does. When I spend time with God, I become more like him. The closer I get to God, the more energy, vitality, and passion I’ll have in life. The further away I get, the more bored and apathetic I become. To get closer to God, I’ve got to open my heart to him. He wants to come in and help me use my passion in positive ways. But he’s a gentleman. He’s not going to bust the door down. I’ve got to open it up.

If I'm not careful I can become complacent and not really have Christ's presence in me. The pleasures of this world can be dangerous, because their temporary satisfaction makes me indifferent to God's offer of lasting satisfaction. I need to leave the door of my heart constantly open to God. Letting him in is my only hope for lasting fulfillment. Jesus knocks at the door of my heart because he wants to save and have fellowship with me. He is patient and persistent in trying to get through, but he will never break and enter, he only knocks. He allows me to decide whether or not to open my life to him. 

Lord, I need you. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can believe in, have faith and to trust you in everything including being the authority for my life, my self-worth and my future. You have my best interests in mind. Help me to remember to allow you in and open my life to fellowship with you. I want to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. I ask you for wisdom and guidance in this and for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, my preparation for a future job role and for leading a small group. I pray these things through you Son Jesus’ name, amen.