Tammuz 3
The Heart of a Servant
“For you, brothers,
have been called to freedom, only do not use freedom as an occasion for the
flesh, but THROUGH LOVE SERVE ONE ANOTHER.” (Gal 5:13 ISR,
emphasis mine)
Not too many days
ago, I had a conversation with a young lady – one who professes to have a
relationship with the living Elohim –
during which she complained vehemently about everything others expected of
her. I am paraphrasing her words here: “the
only time anyone calls is when they want something from me, be it something I
am to do for them, or something,
especially money, that they want me to give
to them.” While I can understand the
emotions behind her statement, being a servant is exactly what we are called to do, if we make the claim of being a child of Elohim.
Our lives are not
our own, we are no longer free to do whatever we want, with whomever we
choose. We have been bought and paid for
with a price that is non-negotiable (1Pet 1:18-20; Acts 20:28; 1Cor 6:20), which
has effectively transferred ownership to the One who paid for us. Here me, folks, the first position we assume
in the kingdom of our Creator is that of slave
– one who has been bought. Because of His love for us, our Father chooses
to change that relationship to that of parent/child, but we cannot call ourselves a child of God
unless we first recognize the status of slave.
The Greek word in
our opening verse that has been translated as ‘serve’ is douleuō (Strong’s G1398), and means to be a slave, to do service, to yield
oneself in obedience and service. Notice,
please, those whom we are to serve: one
another. I have yet to find in
Scripture any verse that allows me to pick and choose those I am to serve, and
be of service to. Yes, we all have
individual giftings and talents that are of benefit to the body of Messiah, and
they are to be used as such (see 1Pet 4:10), for by doing so, we bring honor
and esteem to the One who owns the title to our lives. My contribution is that of exhortation, encouragement,
edification and comfort – some have called me teacher, though I do not make
that claim. However, I do not pick and
choose who is on the receiving end of what I write – that choosing is reserved
for Elohim alone.
As in everything we do, there must be a
balance. We cannot continually give of
ourselves – our time, talents, and even finances – without tending to ourselves
(and family) first. If we don’t continue to make deposits to our
bank accounts, eventually we will be overdrawn, and in trouble with the
bank. It is the same principal
here. Shabbat was created for a day of
rest, a time to have our batteries recharged, a time to sit at the feet of our
Master. It is only after we have tended to our nefesh
– our innermost being – that we are able to be
the servant our Creator requires us to be.
Allow me, please, to give a word of
warning. The definition of ‘hypocrite’
is “a
person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles,
etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose
actions belie stated beliefs”[1]. If we make the claim of loving our Creator
with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength (Deu 6:5; Luke 10:27), yet we
are not willing to “love our neighbors as ourselves” (Lev 19:18), and to serve
one another in love (see our opening verse), then we are deceiving
ourselves. Messiah Yeshua said very
plainly that “If
a person [really] loves Me, HE WILL KEEP MY WORD [obey My teaching]
…
Anyone who does not [really]
love Me does not observe and obey My teaching.” (John 14:23-24 AMPC) Obedience – through love – to the divine instructions
in moral and righteous living will always be the fertilizer of the fruit that
we bear. A lack of obedience will abort
and stunt whatever fruit we may have growing, and eventually cause it to cease
bearing fruit all together.
“And by this we know
that we have known Him, if we keep His commandments. The one saying, I
have known Him, and not keeping His commandments is a liar, and the truth is
not in that one. But whoever keeps His Word, truly in this one the love of
YAHWEH has been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him.” (1John 2:3-5 HRB)
Abba, Father, I come to You, heavy in heart. I am asking, Abba, that You would refine and
perfect a servant’s heart within me. May
I always be willing to serve, to do, to give, to those You direct me to.
And in serving others, may my service bring honor and esteem to You, my
Creator and Master. Amein.
©2018
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