Unraveling the Pattern - The Life of a Servant!

Unraveling the Pattern - The Life of a Servant!

There is a plan and a pattern in the Gospels for us to follow in our own lives to becoming a servant of the Gospel for Jesus Christ. It may seem a mystery why God is allowing certain things to happen in your life. But when you understand the pattern you can be better prepared for battle. Serving the Lord no longer remains a mystery. With understanding you will have the armor to withstand the foes of this life. It will still hurt but at least you will be able to unravel your life as a servant for Jesus Christ. 

Adversity’s greatest triumph is the one that succeeds when all odds are against you! Learning what works and doesn't work can be our greatest teacher. The Lord doesn't leave us alone when we accept the calling. If he left us alone then we would stay the same never growing, striving, or reaching beyond our initial dreams and desires. The secret to success is failure. Our failures are the beginnings of our greatness. Greatness is achieved by becoming a servant!

How many times have you failed? The secret to success is not getting it right the first time but getting back up again. Thomas Edison, who’s most memorable invention, was the light bulb, which purportedly took him 1,000 tries before he developed a successful prototype. “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” a reporter asked. “I didn’t fail 1,000 times,” Edison responded. “The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”

As Servants of Jesus Christ, every aspect of our lives is in steps. It may be 1,000 steps or a million steps. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.” Pslam 37:23 His ways are perfect and he knows the beginning from the end. He knew your choices before he formed you and because of your choices he has made a way when there seemeth no way. Every decision you make the Lord has already seen and put in your path a way of escape and help. The joy in knowing the Lord is when you pray and fast: then the way becomes clearer and you too can see the path without blindness.

I have spent the last several months reading the gospels over and over again. It was just the other day that I noticed something I had never seen in the gospels. I began to see this pattern and example that Jesus left for us in the gospels. I truly feel it was from the Lord. I have never heard it preached. I will break it down into 4 steps.

FOUR STEPS: UNRAVELING THE LIFE OF A SERVANT

1)   Jesus was called serve! His ministry had not yet begun but he honored his mother. He did not want to turn the water into wine but he was obedient to his mother. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. John 2:3-4 Just as sometimes we are asked to do something initially from God and it makes no sense. We may argue prayerfully with the Lord and ask him if he’s sure that’s what he means. But then we accept the call to ministry even if we feel it’s before our time or not what we wanted to do with our lives.

2)  Then Jesus prayed and fasted in the wilderness for forty days and was tempted of the devil. “Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.” Luke 4:2 When we realize the calling and accept the calling. Before we go into battle we must pray and fast. Yes, we will be tempted in all things and of the devil: the gates of hell will open up on our lives. But this is what Jesus did first before he began his earthly ministry as a servant to the people. We too must follow His example if we are to be successful servant unto the Lord. Fasting and praying is building a relationship with Jesus. When we pray Jesus becomes our mediator, it is in our prayer times that the battle is fought. You cannot fight flesh with flesh but the battle is waged in the spirit! 

3)  This next part in serving is the hardest part. The pain shall fall on the just and the unjust. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45 This is where many people fall away and are so discouraged; when it rains on the just. Jesus too faced rain on his ministry. After Jesus fasted and prayed he returned to his home town. It was there that he was rejected by his family and friends. His ministry held little worth in his home town. “For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.” John 4:44

How many have been rejected by friends and family? This is the plan from the Lord. I don’t know why this is his plan but it is what I have seen from every person who becomes great in the Lord. The rejection is such a blow! The hard part is not falling away when we are kicked. The hard part is letting God take control of your life and allowing you to get better and not bitter. Job could have cursed God and died; but he persevered and was rewarded for his faithfulness. We must remember his example and that the key is forgiveness in direct correlation to rejection.

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust .For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:44-48 This is the great challenge to love them even when they have become our enemy!

4)  It was after Jesus completed all these steps that his ministry unfolded. He healed the sick; blind eyes opened, lame walked, and lepers were healed. He raised the dead, he fed the masses and he walked on water. Jesus is the son of God, he is fully God and fully man. He chose to come as a man who wrapped himself in flesh for our salvation. But he too followed a process in his life for his walk into ministry. We too must recognize this pattern set before us and realize that when bad things happen to us they are for our betterment. Will they make sense? No. Will you be in pain? Yes. Will it be worth it all in the end? Absolutely!  

RECAP:

1)  We accept the calling to become a servant 

2)  We fast and pray/ relationship with Jesus 

3)  We are rejected/adversity

4)  God unfolds his plan in our life-ministry takes form

I think too many times in church we measure our lives to those around us. We may think that we have not accomplished the goals that we feel that God put in our lives. The secret to success in the Lord is becoming a servant. It doesn’t matter who you’re serving, how many you’re serving, or even where you are serving. The key is wherever you are at and whatever season you are at in your life: you are serving the people. I think we get hung up on a system, a plan, and a schedule. Yet, we are not on our own schedule but the Lord’s timing.

We must be willing to turn our backs on family and friends. We must sell out to Jesus Christ. I coined a phrase: It cost you nothing for salvation but once you’re saved it cost you everything to serve him. You will face adversity! There will be great pain in your life. But the ultimate goal is to be a servant for Jesus Christ! We must seek him first with all of our hearts. He is not blind to our pain; he too felt all of our anguish. He was the great example in every area of our lives.

If you have fallen get back up!

If you have rain on your life give it to God!

If you have a calling do not be dismayed!

His promises to you will not be returned void!

Be thankful for adversity- it shapes you!

If you keep moving forward YOU will see victory! 

MOST IMPORTANT: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER 

GIVE UP!