My Highest Purpose, Pt. 3 - No. 108

Isaiah 44:21, “Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for you are my servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me!”

We continue discovering God’s purposes for our lives…

3. We were created to show forth His praise. (Isaiah 43:21b)

We do this through our life, our words and our writings. The words “show forth” besides meaning “to make known and to celebrate” also mean, “to inscribe”. This same word was used for scribes. This means that in everything we say, write and do, we are to make His praise known.

4. We were created to be His witness. (Isaiah 43:10-13; 44:8)

God’s purpose for Israel was to witness to the world that God was the only true God. This is also our task. We are His representatives, His ambassadors and His witnesses on this earth to show that He is the only true God and Savior in the earth. We are to declare His truth, His ways and the knowledge of Him to the world. Of course, we start with our family! Every day we reveal to our children what God is like. Someone has said, “Mother is the name for God in the lips of little children.” What kind of picture of God do we witness to our children?

5.  We were created to serve. (Isaiah 44:21; 49:3)

We were born to serve. To serve is God-like. Satan refused to serve in the heavenly realm and instead rose up in pride. Because of this he was cast out of heaven. Milton expresses Satan well in Paradise Lost…

“And in my choice

 

To reign is worth ambition though in hell:

 

Better to reign in hell, than serve in Heav’n”

He still tries to instill his anti-servant spirit in us today. It’s helpful to remember that when we resist serving, we fall into Satan’s willful ways.

Jesus Himself did not come to be served, but to serve. In fact, Jesus died, not only to save us from our sins, but also to save us from our selfish instinct that tries to rule our lives. 2 Corinthians 5:15 says, “He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”

We often think of serving as servitude, but servitude is when we are made to serve, or when we do it grudgingly. We have joy when we willingly serve. It is God’s purpose for us. I love the song with the Maori tune we used to sing in New Zealand, “If  you want to be great in God’s kingdom, learn to be the servant of all!”

How can you serve God in our daily life? You serve Him by serving your husband and family. You serve Him when you are cleaning, cooking and tending to your children and baby. When you serve in your home you are actually serving the Lord. Every mundane task is a service to the Lord. 1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds us, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

You serve God by serving one another. You serve Him by serving the poor and the “least of the brethren.” (Matthew 25:31-46) When one of Mother Teresa’s novices was ministering to one of the destitute, one who was repulsive to look at, or one whose stench was nauseating, she would often take the novice’s hand. With the palm out-stretched she would fold the fingers and thumb back into the palm one by one as she spoke these five words, “You did it to Me.”

 

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

 

PRAYER:

“Lord, please help me to remember that serving is a godly attribute and that when I serve I am revealing your life. Help me to be full of joy as I serve in my home. Amen.”

 

AFFIRMATION:

“To serve is greatness.”