I CHOOSE TO SERVE 13: QUALITIES OF GOD’S SERVANT 7

“If any of God’s people need anything, then help them. Give to them what you can give. Be ready to say welcome to visitors and be happy to let them stay in your home” Rom. 12:13 (EET).

Foundation Text: 1 Tim. 3:1-7

HOSPITALITY:

During my undergraduate days, I lived in my fellowship’s secretariat when I served as the President. Now when I say secretariat, I am not talking about one well furnished apartment in maybe a somewhat serene location around or outside the school campus. On the contrary, it was a fraction of a room in the school hostel. If you’ve been to the Federal University of Technology Owerri, you will attest to what I am saying. It was by default a second room for every member of the fellowship. So most of the times you have people trooping into and out of the secretariat, members and non-members alike.

It was not a place one will readily want to stay, of course there was one President I knew that did not stay there. I really have to be sincere, it took the Holy Spirit working on me to leave my comfortable self-contained apartment I had already paid for outside the campus and move into the secretariat.

It was during this period that God taught me practical hospitality. There were lots of things and kinds of people I had to deal with. God really messed with the thing I used to call privacy (I do not mean to sound derogatory). I learnt to put up with people of diverse demeanour. I learnt to “take nonsense” and “stomach rubbish”. I learnt to tolerate and forbear. I learnt to accept people the way they are.

The truth is that as a servant of God, you will meet people with different ideals and orientations. If you want to excel in service, you must accommodate people. Hospitality is a needed quality to enable you be open to accept and give people the helping hand they need without grudges. This might mean sharing the little meal, bed space or bucket of water you have with that visitor that came to you unannounced. It may not be easy, but trust me, you can do it.

The beauty of hospitality is that it reciprocates. People have accepted me into their homes and they knew little or nothing about me. In some cases, I’ve had to wittily talk about myself. A man that is given to hospitality can never be stranded. In all you do, try to show a little hospitality, it really does pay.

If this message blessed you, you are free to share it with anybody or group.

Stay blessed.
  
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I CHOOSE TO SERVE 12: QUALITIES OF GOD’S SERVANT 6

“So then, be careful how you live. Do not be unwise but wise” Eph. 5:15 (ISV).

Foundation Text: 1 Tim. 3:1-7

GOOD BEHAVIOUR (CHARACTER):

Well, it will not be so bad if I do not say anything more on this because I am tempted to believe you already know what I am about to say. But I have a strong believe that there is something this episode will bring to you that will sound fresh. There is something for everyone; if you did not know, you will know. If you have forgotten, I will remind you.

Nobody wants to have anything to do with someone who is bad behaved. That is why parents are admonished to train their kids in the way they ought to go (Prov. 22:6). This is to ensure that all tendencies of turning out bad when they grow up are checked and dealt with. The parents play a great deal of role in the process of instilling good behaviour in their kids. If you see a man that beats his wife, he may have seen the father do same to the mother. Same goes to the woman who shares her body with men other than her husband, the mother may have done same in her knowing.

Today we have a world full of charismatic people, who lack good character. You see beasts dressed in suits and pythons adorned in gowns. I am not just saying what I read, I am saying what I have known and encountered. I am not condemning anyone, but we really need to fix this character issue, especially amongst people who profess to serve God.

I picked special interest in the first line of the scripture we started with today. Apostle Paul admonishes us to be careful the way we live. This means that we have a role to play in exhibiting good character or behaviour. God can only help, but it is our responsibility to accept the help He is offering and exhibit the good character we ought to exhibit.

If you are struggling with behavioural issues, help has come your way today. It may not be a spontaneous change, but you have to make a move. A journey of a thousand miles starts with a step. It may take a while, but keep yielding yourself to God to help you. The following tips can be of help:

1. Know when the drive to behave wrongly comes.

2. Tell yourself you will do the opposite of what you are being moved to do at that time.

3. Walk away from the situation that wants to make you behave badly. It is not cowardice, it is the highest level of strength and it comes from God.

If you were blessed, please share with your friends.

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I CHOOSE TO SERVE 11: QUALITIES OF GOD’S SERVANT 5

“For by the grace given to me I ask every one of you not to think of yourself more highly than you should think, rather to think of yourself with sober judgement on the measure of faith that God has assigned each of you” Rom. 12:3 (ISV).

Foundation Text: 1 Tim. 3:1-7

GOOD SENSE OF JUDGEMENT (SOBERNESS):

The truth is that being sober can mean different things for different applications. The part of being sober I want to treat in this episode is the part of being in the right frame of mind. The ability to think properly and rightly. The place of making sound and right judgement or conclusions over a matter. The ability of not being carried away by emotional fantasies in the discharge of your duty.

Soberness is very important in our service to God. Why was Paul charging the Roman church, and by extension us, to be sober? This is what I think: it is difficult not to be judgemental or conclusive about issues. Nobody wants to leave a matter open ended. There is always need to draw conclusion on a matter.

It is true that we have been admonished by Jesus not to be judgemental, but being judgemental may not necessarily take you to hell. This is no fallacy, it is a scriptural reality. Take a look at that scripture once again:

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged” Matt. 7:1-2 (NLT).

He did not say judge not that you will not go to hell, neither did He say judge not that you may inherit the kingdom. We are being admonished not to make the wrong conclusions about other people. If we do, we will receive the same kind of treatment.
Now, because the human tendencies of being judgemental is there, servants of God are admonished to imbibe the quality of soberness. This will enable you to make the right choices, decisions and conclusions.

The conclusion we give on matters has a lot to do with how we perceive things. My mentor will always say and I quote; “We perceive things not the way things really are, but the way we are”. The conclusion we draw on matters may not be the accurate thing, but we conclude on things the way we feel it ought to be concluded. This is why the servant of God has to be sober at all times. You need to always be in the right frame of mind to enable you make sound and accurate judgement. Do not always get carried away by emotions, strive to get all the necessary information you need before you draw your conclusions.       
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I CHOOSE TO SERVE 10: QUALITIES OF GOD’S SERVANT 4

“Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak” Matt. 26:41 (KJV).

Foundation Text: 1 Tim. 3:1-7

VIGILANCE:

Be watchful! Be at alert! Stay awake! You can help me with other synonyms and applications. I must be sincere, the literal application of this quality makes me want to shy away from it. This is because I am not a pro when it comes to staying awake. I do that occasionally though, especially when there is a prompting by the Holy Spirit to stay awake and pray or there is a corporate vigil. My mentor sleeps barely four hours a day. I may not be at that level now, but with time, I hope to get there and even better.

How interesting it is that most of the time this subject is raised, the next thing that comes to mind is fighting the witches and wizards that are fighting us. It is not our fault, this is what indoctrination and dogmatism has imbibed in us. You see cases were people are given 7 days midnight prayer to fight demons, because that is the time they operate more. I do not intend to assert that those prayers do not work, but you must not wait till midnight to fight demons. What if the demon you are fighting from Nigeria is in Washington DC, USA? Well that’s not what I am treating now. I will be making available a series by my mentor titled THE NEW NORMAL on my blog soon. It will go a long way to help you understand my concern on matters of this nature.

From our focus scripture for this episode, you see Jesus telling his disciples, who were also his servants, why they should watch and pray. In safety training, we were told that PPEs do not stop accidents from happening, rather, PPEs protect the wearer from the adverse effect of the accident. In like manner, being vigilant will not stop temptations from coming your way as a servant of God, rather, it will help you not to fall into it. You only fall into temptation when you have let down your guards.

The more you give yourself to serve God, the more you are exposed to temptations. This is why in the service of God, laxity is not allowed. The truth is that the devil is not letting down his guards in his quest to discredit you before God. This is why Peter passed on the same instruction Jesus gave him that night to us in 1 Pet. 5:8 and I quote:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (KJVL).

Till I come your way in the next episode, step up your alert level, the times are bad. God will help us to be vigilant in Jesus name. Amen!
     
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I CHOOSE TO SERVE 09: QUALITIES OF GOD’S SERVANT 3

“Such a person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all he undertakes” James 1:8 (ISV).

Foundation Text: 1 Tim. 3:1-7

STABILITY (HUSBAND OF ONE WIFE):

I know some theologians will be tempted to attack me now for using this verse of the Bible out of its original context. I also am not a party to quoting the scriptures out of context, but I was amazed when the Holy Spirit took me to this verse as I was preparing to write this episode. I tried to get another scripture to drive home the message of this episode just like the last one, but the Holy Spirit would not let me. So do not take me to the gallows yet, until you read the last word of this episode.

For the records, I am not married as I am writing this. You will agree with me (especially those who are or have been married) that being married to one person is a great piece of work. The challenges marriage bring to table always comes with mixed feelings. To some, it is an interesting experience while to others, it is too much to handle. You can now begin to imagine what happens to a man with more than one wife (whether he is rich or poor).

One of the key attributes of a husband of more than one wife is INSTABILITY. This is because his heart is divided between two or more people (which connotes double mindedness). Marriages of this nature are prone to loss of focus in purpose and destination.

An unstable man lacks focus and ability to do great exploits. He easily gets distracted and loses sight of the goal. This is why stability is a vital quality in our service to God.

This was the problem God had with the Laodicean church of Rev. 3:14-16. They were neither hot nor cold.

You cannot say you want to serve God and yet you allow yourself to be a tool in the hands of the devil. If you are amongst church folks, you present yourself as an inter-ballistic prayer missile. But, when you go back to your neighbourhood, you are hailed as the baddest guy in the hood.

My friend, I do not intend to condemn you because I have had my fair share of the lukewarm experience. On the contrary, I came to challenge you to take that bold decision to stand for God and God alone. There is so much God wants to do with you, but He needs you today to be stable and focused. I pray that instability will not deprive you of your reward for service in Jesus name. Amen!
     
If you were blessed, please share with your friends.

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I CHOOSE TO SERVE 08: QUALITIES OF GOD’S SERVANT 2

“And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless” Gen. 44:10. (KJV).

Foundation Text: 1 Tim. 3:1-7

BLAMELESS:

Well, we all know the story here. I must say that I struggled with the Holy Spirit on the relevance of this scripture to the message to be communicated through this episode. Thankfully, He is the greatest teacher and knows how best to expound God’s word in our hearts.

First, I did a bit of research into the word blameless. The Hebrew transliteration of it is “náqui y náqui y” pronounced as “naw-kee”. It means to be clean and free from guilt and/or punishment.

Back to the scripture above, there is a pertinent question I am asking from there: why did Joseph agree to service as a way of declaring them blameless? Why did he not choose to give the person a jail term? Remember he was hiding the identity of his brothers from pharaoh and the Egyptians at the time of this encounter. That will be a message for another time.

When Joseph said you shall be blameless, he was not excluding anyone. The provision was also for the person the cup will be found in his possession. So he is invariably saying that even though the culprit will serve, it will not be like a punishment, because he will be free from guilt/or punishment.

This is what the Holy Spirit is telling me to tell you: For you to be blameless, you have to believe in your heart that you have already been presented to Him blameless. You were full of shit? YES. You made mistakes? YES. You have done horrible things that should disqualify you to serve? YES. But I bring you Gods word today:

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” Rom. 8:1-2 (NIV)

“Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault” Jude 24 (NLT)

Who told you that you cannot serve God because of your past life? Who told you that you are too messed up to serve? That devil is a liar! The ultimate price for your mess has been paid. All God is asking you to do is to live your life as one who has been set free from guilt and shame. Do not let your mess stop the message. In Christ Jesus, you are now blameless (free from guilt and /or punishment).

Let me round up by leaving you with these two scriptures:

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” John 8:36 (KJVL)

“So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up in slavery to the law” Gal. 5:1 (NLT)

I see someone coming out of that bondage of guilt and walking into a blameless state! I see someone shutting the door to past errors and mistakes and making a choice to serve God without fear of guilt and condemnation! In the name of Jesus Christ! Amen!

If you were blessed, please share with your friends.

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I CHOOSE TO SERVE 07: QUALITIES OF GOD’S SERVANT 1

“1. This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 
2. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 
3. Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 
4. One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 
5. (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 
6. Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 
7. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
1 Tim. 3:1-7 (KJV).

In any context you use this scripture, it contains a comprehensive list of basic requirements for serving God. These requirements listed here are the outward qualities that a servant of God must possess. In as much as it is expected that a servant of God has credibility in the sight of God, he must also have credibility among men.

Do not get it twisted, people’s opinion of a servant of God matter. You will be threading a dangerous path if you think that it totally does not matter what people say about you. Granted the voice of the people are not always the voice of God, they still need to see some outward manifestation of who you say you are.

The following scriptures should help you grab what I am saying:

“In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” Matt. 5:16 (NLT).

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men” Luke 2:52 (AKJV).

I personally like Easy English Translation of Luke 2:52, and I quote:

“Jesus grew into a man. He could understand more and more things. Everyone loved Him and God also thought well of Him.”

In the last three episodes, I shared the things that can make God to be pleased with your service. The next couple of episodes will be dedicated to dealing with the outward qualities expected of a true servant of God.
   
Stay blessed.

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I CHOOSE TO SERVE 06: WHAT IT TAKES TO SERVE GOD 3

“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple” Luke 14:33 (NIV).

READINESS TO TOTALLY SURRENDER ALL:

This is one statement of Jesus that in my opinion has the same outcome in both literal and figurative understanding. The truth of the matter is that we cannot serve God effectively being full of ourselves. You should bear this at the back of your mind that God can place demand on anything you have as you make yourself available to serve him.

The challenge we have in this regard is not really about what God is placing demand on, rather it is about our readiness to let anything go for His sake. It may not necessarily be about you selling off everything you have and be left with nothing (though it could happen), it is really your willingness to dispose of anything that will be inimical to your service to God at any time.

To be able to do readily surrender all, you must accept this truth: you are just a trustee to everything you have and not the owner.

John 3:27 says, “John replied, no one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven” (NLT).
What Jesus is saying to us is that we should give up the mentality that we own anything. Everything we had, have and will have is owned by God. Hence, He can place a demand on it one day (your life inclusive).

Therefore, to serve God effectively, do not hold anything back from Him when He places a demand on it.

Stay blessed.

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I CHOOSE TO SERVE 05: WHAT IT TAKES TO SERVE GOD 2

“If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine” Matt. 10:38 (NLT).

“He must live like a person that will die very soon. Yes, if he is not ready to die for me, he cannot obey me. So think about what it will be like to obey me” Luke 14:27 (EET).

BEARING YOUR CROSS:

There are diverse opinions of the true picture of the cross as it concerns Christians. Some people look at the cross as issues of life such as physical infirmities, temperamental weaknesses, family problems, and all their likes. That is a somewhat deluded view of the cross that Jesus was talking about, they are just the common lot of man. Even people who are not born again have these issues to deal with.

The cross is a symbol of DEATH. Yes DEATH! The question now is; who or what is dying or rather, being killed?

When Jesus carried the cross, He was carrying the weight of sin for man and on it He killed sin. The cross is something Jesus took up voluntarily, and not something that was imposed on Him.

The cross is a sacrifice and not a burden. Therefore, serving God entails you sacrifice worldly pleasures (besetting sins and weights), even if it involves rejection by the world. It involves a willingness to accept ostracism and unpopularity with the world for the sake of your service to God. How much are you willing and ready to sacrifice to serve God effectively?

Let me leave you to ponder on Gal. 6:14, “As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the worlds interest in me has also died” (NLT).

Stay blessed.

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I CHOOSE TO SERVE 04: WHAT IT TAKES TO SERVE GOD 1

“If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison – your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple” Luke 14:26 (NLT).

AN UNRIVALED LOVE FOR GOD:

When Jesus talked about hating your father and mother, He was not talking about the literal hate that we are used to. I always tell people that it is risky to take all of Jesus’ sayings literarily, because some of the times He speaks in parables and figuratively. Same applies to this statement made by our Lord Jesus in the above quoted scripture.

Jesus was actually talking about a love that does not have a rival. In having this unrivalled love for Him, He expects you to place nothing and no one above Him. This entails you make Him first in your life and in everything you do. Wait! Did I just say everything you do? YES I DID. There is no going around it. I only enjoyed serving God when this revelation sunk into my spirit and became part of me. If you do not love God that much, then you may not be able to serve Him effectively.

In serving God, your family and self should be secondary. It really has nothing to do with you not caring for the people God has placed in your life. I want to assure us that this is by no means a boot camp process, God would not ask you to do what He has not given you the capacity or potential to do. So, if He says you ought to place Him above all things, He very well knows you can do it.

This is a clarion call for us all today. Are we serving because we want people to see us and possibly recommend us or is it born out of love for the one who rewards service? I will like to end by quoting some lines from a song written and performed by a Nigerian singer called Asa: “Mr Soldier man, tomorrow is the day you go to war. Could it be love for your country or for the gun that you are holding?”. Let me put those lines in this context: My friend, you really want to serve. Could it be because of the love you have for God or the benefits you have anticipated to get? Think on this.

Stay blessed.

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(Transforming the World through the Word)