July 1, 2024 … Gifted To Serve God …

July 1, 2024 … Gifted To Serve God  …      

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in this song with lyrics from Kristian Stanfill singing More Like Jesus … poignantly singing of how we Christians become more like Christ when we serve others just as He did. 

======

Highlight Passage: …  Ephesians 4:16  [NLT] … 

16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love..           

…  Paul teaches truth about God’s body, the Church, each one being built up to serve God with His love in the world.                                                                          

Highlight Passage (in context): … Ephesians 4:11-16  [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …  

… The Apostle Paul exhorts fellow Christians to use their (our) Spirit-given gifts to come together in Christ’s church to serve others.                                                                                                    

==========           

Reference Passage: … Mark 10:45  [NLT] … 

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”.  

… Jesus modeled for His disciples that even He, as the “Son of Man,” had come to the world to serve others as He expected them (and all Christians) to do..   

Reference Passage: … Romans 12:3-8 [NLT] … USE THIS  LINK … 

… Paul teaches fellow Christians about using the gifts God imparts to Christians to serve others and thereby glorify Him.    

Reference Passage: … Philippians 2:3-5 [NLT] … USE THIS  LINK … 

… Paul exhorts fellow Christians to take on the attitude of Christ to serve others before self.  

Reference Passage: …Colossians 3:23-24 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …   

…  Paul also teaches others that we are to serve others as if we were serving Christ, Himself. 

Reference Passage: … 1Peter 4:10-11  [NLT] … USE THIS  LINK …  

… The Apostle Peter also teaches truth about serving God’s glory by using our Spirit-given gifts to serve others; and in doing so, serving God.  

My Devotional Journal: Today’s Our Daily Bread  Author, Elisa Morgan -  AT THIS LINK  -     told of Andrew Card, who served as the Chief of Staff to President George W Bush, describing his duties … ‘We serve at the pleasure of the President.’ But that does not mean that we serve to please the President or to win his pleasure. Rather, we serve to tell him what he needs to know to do his job.” …          

And in that job description, we read the nature of our so-called “job description” as Christians, and that is serve Christ by using the wisdom and direction, i.e., THE GIFTS, we get from God as we serve Him by serving others.  And if my readers, as I generally ask daily, have taken in the linked song and meditated on the Scriptures above,  … as I pray you have today, … and as I am asking myself, … as to whether we, as born-again Christians, are truly using the gifts and talents which God has given us to serve our Lord today .. and all days … for His glory?  

Personally, I can to more!   How about you?         

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for giving me Your gifts to serve You by serving others; … yes, even today.    

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I’m praying today that those who read with me here will join me to use what You’ve given us, Lord, to serve You.  … Amen

=============

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “OurDaily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.