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Saturday, August 18, 2012

DEVOTIONAL, SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012


DEVOTION, SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

“In purpose and practice”
BY
PASTOR BOB COY
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 (NKJV)
Few words can capture the character of Christ as completely as the word “servant.” It really does define Him, both in purpose and in practice.
In purpose, the Lord Himself tells us the very reason He came to earth in the first place was not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. Quite literally, He was born to die on the cross for our sins. And in so doing, He was serving us in the most profound way possible. Christ was born in Bethlehem and dwelled among mankind for over thirty years for the sole purpose of serving us.
In practice, we see a steady stream of servanthood flowing from Jesus’ life. Consider this: Jesus never used His miraculous powers to help or advance Himself. When did He use them? In every instance, He used them to serve the needs of others. The sick, the possessed, the poor, and the unwanted…Jesus served them instead of Himself.
If we’re ever going to imitate Christ, being a servant is absolutely essential. No life can come close to reflecting Him apart from being others-oriented both in purpose and in practice. When we wake up each day, we ought to know our purpose is to serve the people God places around us. And as we walk through our day, we ought to seize every opportunity to put this purpose into practice.
So take stock of yourself. Is your purpose in life to serve others or yourself? And when it comes to what you actually practice, are your efforts and energies benefiting you or other people?
“For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you…a servant is not greater than his master...” John 13:15-16 (NKJV)

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