There are so many kinds service. You can name them all. Working as a volunteer is a service. Being clean and green concious is a service. Even just preparing the wife's meal before she goes home is a brilliant service. Everyone can do this. Even pagan and people who don't believe in God can do this. But how does this differ from the Christian service?
1. Christian service is simply centred with Christ. This is one of the differences on the other services we mentioned above. They are brilliant services. Helping others in one way or another is a very noble mission that everyone can do and ought to do. But this varies in purpose. People serve just because they are seeking self satisfactions. Others see this an opportunity to just simply do good.
But Christian service is not self seeking. It is in fact self denouncing. When serving, you have to forget about yourself and be renewed and born again to do this. We serve not because we want to seek personal happiness and satisfaction but to glorify God. And when service requires this, there should be a submission.
WE ARE CALLED TO SUBMIT.When we accept the challenge and God anoints us as leaders, we embrace the reality of being a servants. We then become like the disciples. They follow Jesus and yet they have to be reborn, forget their very own selves and take up the cross of the mission as followers of Jesus. Peter was a fisherman before he was called and he was transformed from his old self to a become the first pope of Christ's Church.
SUBMISSION means that we are ready not just to submit to God but we are READY TO CONSULT GOD in every plans we have. Service to others should be pleasing to the Lord so does require God's blessings. God's blessings can only be attained if we let Him know. We ask Him and we let Him decide. Most of the time, we think we are serving God but ended of pleasing ourselves. We are tempted to plan things and do things according to our own will. This is very dangerous, because if we do this we prone to so many DISAPPOINTMENTS. We can fail and not seeing the goodness of failing. If we don't consult God and we fail, we become frustrated and eventually quit in serving God.
SUBMISSION also means BEING OPEN TO THE PROMPTING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Being sensitive to the changes of plans made by the Lord is one of the greatest characters of a good servant leaders. We let the Holy Spirit works and let Him hones and purify our plans. If we can do this we can always believe that our plans will always succeed.
and Lastly, SUBMISSION is DOING GOD'S WILL. We may have been chosen to serve but we have to remember that this is service and service is not a privilege. It's a mission. We are called to do all the challenges. It will never be easy, it will never be a walk in park but it will glorify God. For God never gave us the easy road but the hardest because there is no one asked to enter the kingdom of God unless they have gone through this. Moses was promised of the promise land, but never get there. Mary was promised to be a mother of God but had to suffer from motherly emotional roller coaster. San Lorenzo Ruiz believed in salvation with God and let his life be the prize on that belief. Challenges will always be on your way but if you submit and trust His will and follow it, you will reap the greatest reward of all. -A promise ETERNAL LIFE with the Father.
Have a GOOD DAY everyone.
