words

so here we are. as you may have noticed, i haven't blogged in a while. my intention to reap with you all did not go the way i planned. i found that instead of sharing my thoughts and what the lord was teaching me through his word, i began to focus more on how i thought you may perceive what i was saying. my so called "transparency" became the opposite, as it so often does.

that being said, i'd like to continue my blog as i had before...as an avenue through which i might share a few tidbits of my life, my thoughts, my ramblings...whatever. today i wanted to share something my friend emily shared with our missional community. we've been discussing service and what that looks like for us as a group. she shared an exerpt from "my utmost for his highest" by oswald chambers.

here's the exerpt:

The Determination to Serve
The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve . . .—Matthew 20:28

Jesus also said, “Yet I am among you as the One who serves” (Luke 22:27). Paul’s idea of service was the same as our Lord’s— “. . . ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5). We somehow have the idea that a person called to the ministry is called to be different and above other people. But according to Jesus Christ, he is called to be a “doormat” for others— called to be their spiritual leader, but never their superior. Paul said, “I know how to be abased . . .” (Philippians 4:12). Paul’s idea of service was to pour his life out to the last drop for others. And whether he received praise or blame made no difference. As long as there was one human being who did not know Jesus, Paul felt a debt of service to that person until he did come to know Him. But the chief motivation behind Paul’s service was not love for others but love for his Lord. If our devotion is to the cause of humanity, we will be quickly defeated and broken-hearted, since we will often be confronted with a great deal of ingratitude from other people. But if we are motivated by our love for God, no amount of ingratitude will be able to hinder us from serving one another.

Paul’s understanding of how Christ had dealt with him is the secret behind his determination to serve others. “I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man . . .” (1 Timothy 1:13). In other words, no matter how badly others may have treated Paul, they could never have treated him with the same degree of spite and hatred with which he had treated Jesus Christ. Once we realize that Jesus has served us even to the depths of our meagerness, our selfishness, and our sin, nothing we encounter from others will be able to exhaust our determination to serve others for His sake.

i had an interesting thought when i saw the title of the passage. i guess i have a thing for words...maybe it's my secret desire to be a writer or something, but they fascinate me. determination. this word means a few things to me. the first is obvious i guess. determination could describe a work ethic, or the way in which you resolve to pursue something. one definition that i love is "the quality of being resolute". these definitions are appropriate, i think, when understanding the importance of service in the christian life, and the weight of the responsibility. one definition, however, that i think explains what Paul is talking about, would be this, "a fixed purpose or intention". but this purpose does not come to be on it's own...it is born out of something. and by being fixed, it is most assuredly unwavering. this intentional purpose, if you will, is to serve others because in doing so, we serve our King. "Once we realize that Jesus has served us even to the depths of our meagerness, our selfishness, and our sin, nothing we encounter from others will be able to exhaust our determination to serve others for His sake." seems pretty simple, doesn't it? hmmm.

just some thoughts...and as always, i'm not even sure they make sense.

ma, per ora, buon giorno.