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SHAPED FOR SERVING GOD (03.21.04)
(40 Days of Purpose – week five)

In spite of enormous success, Elvis Presley was, according to friends, an unfulfilled and unhappy man. He died of obesity and drug dependency at 42. In an interview with his wife, Priscilla, she said this about her husband:

“Elvis never came to terms with who he was meant to be or what his purpose in life was. He thought he was here for a reason, maybe to preach, maybe to serve, maybe to save, maybe to care for people. That agonizing desire was always with him and he knew he wasn’t fulfilling it. So he’d go on stage and he wouldn’t have to think about it.”

Today, as we continue our 40 DAYS OF PURPOSE campaign, we’re going to look at God’s fourth purpose for our lives: we were SHAPED TO SERVE GOD.

Elvis felt like he was here to do something; to serve, to preach, to do something with his life. But he just couldn’t quite figure out, according to his wife, what it was. I don’t want us to make that same mistake.

“We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
(Ephesians 2:20)

We were made to make a contribution. God made us to make a difference. What matters is not how long we live, but how we live. What matters is not the duration of our lives, but the donation of our lives.

On this planet nobody gets a free ride. We’re all meant to give something back. We’re all meant to make a contribution. The Bible says we’re created to serve, we’re saved to serve, we’re gifted to serve, we’re shaped to serve. We’re commanded to serve God back.

Now whenever God gives us an assignment to do something, He never gives it to us without first equipping us.

“Your hands shaped me and made me.” (Job 10:8).

God uses five things to shape us:
1. Spiritual gifts
2. Heart
3. Abilities
4. Personality
5. Experiences.

Those five things make us who we uniquely are, different from anybody else in the world, for a purpose. And that purpose is to serve Him.

We’re going to be reading about these five things this week in our daily readings, so we won’t go into detail about them now. But, I do want us to notice this: God made each of us unique and our uniqueness is not for our benefit.

“Each of us should use whatever gift he’s received to (make a lot of money. No!) serve others.
(1 Peter 4:10)

Our talents are not for our benefit. Do you remember the first line in the Purpose Driven Life book? “IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU.” Our purpose in life is to be what God made us to be. And He gave us gifts and talents and abilities and backgrounds and experiences for the benefit of other people; to be used to serve others.

“My fourth purpose in life is to SERVE GOD BY SERVING OTHERS.” You want to know why you’re alive? That’s why you’re alive. We weren’t put here just to take up space, consume and get a free ride through life. We were put here to serve God and the way we serve God is by serving others.

Here’s the rub: some people want to serve God; they just don’t want to serve others. It doesn’t work that way. The only way we can serve God is by serving others.

The Bible has a word for this ~ “MINISTRY”. And, like WORSHIP and FELLOWSHIP and DISCIPLESHIP, this is a misunderstood word.

When I say the word “minister” people often think of a pastor. The Bible says every believer is a minister. Not every believer is a pastor, but every believer is a minister.

Ministry simply means using our SHAPE to help somebody else in the name of God. Any time we use our talents, abilities, background and experiences to help somebody else, that’s called ministering.

In the Bible the word “service” and “ministry” are the same word. Also in the Bible “servant” and “minister” are the same word.

You say “I’m not called to ministry.” Yes you are! If you’re are called to salvation, you’re called to serve.

Turn to the person next to you and say “You’re a minister.” This is the fourth purpose of our lives. All women are ministers. All men are ministers. All kids and teens are ministers, all old people are ministers. IF we’re believers, we’re all called to serve Jesus by serving others.

Life is preparation eternity, right? What God wants us to do while on earth for the 60, 80, 100 years we’re here is to practice what we’re going to be doing in heaven forever. And, one of the things you’re going to do in heaven is serving God and others.

The good news is that God not only created us for service, He gave us a model. He came to earth Himself and said “This is how you do it. I want you to watch Me.”

“Jesus said, ‘Your attitude must be like My own, for I did not come to be served, but to serve’.”
(Matthew 20:28)

Our SHAPE (spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, experiences) determines our ministry, but our attitude determines our maturity. Big difference. Many people who figure out their SHAPE, but don’t get this second part down.

Many people spend so much of their time searching for self-esteem, self-worth and significance. They want to feel good about themselves. But, they’re looking in all the wrong places! You don’t get your self-worth from success, because there’s always somebody else who does a better job. You don’t get your self-esteem from status. You don’t get your self-esteem from sex. You don’t get your self-esteem from your salary.

The Bible says we get our self-esteem from service. Jesus talked about giving our lives away in order to find them.

What does it take to be used and to learn to serve like Jesus?
1. Serving like Jesus means being AVAILABLE.

One day Jesus was walking to Jericho and some blind men started yelling at him.

“Two blind men shouted ‘Lord, have mercy on us! Jesus stopped and called them. ‘What do you want me to do for you?’.” (Matthew 20:30-32)

Jesus stopped. If we want to be used by God we must be willing to be interrupted. Many of Jesus’ ministry miracles were interruptions; the first being in the form or an interruption at a wedding in Cana.

The text says, “Jesus stopped”. Many people like to study the steps of Jesus. But, it’s the stops of Jesus where the miracles occurred.

Almost every miracle Jesus did, He did it because He let Himself be interrupted.

“Never tell your neighbors to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now.” (Proverbs 3:28)

Servant-hearted people like Jesus don’t procrastinate. They’re spontaneous, they’re sensitive, and they say “OK, let’s do it!”

John Wesley’s motto:
“Do all the good you can by all the means you can by all the ways you can in all the places you can and at all the times you can to all the people you can as long as you ever can.”

That’s what it means to be shaped to serve God. We must be available. We must be willing to step out and say “OK, I’m out of my comfort zone, God, what do You want me to do?”

There are hurting people all around us who need help that won’t wait. Many might say “I’d like to be used by God; but I’m just not available.”

What is it that keeps us from being available? Some barriers are: SELF-CENTEREDNESS.

“Forget yourself long enough to lend a helping hand.” (Philippians 2:4)

Whenever we see a need right in front of us, guess what? God is giving us the opportunity to practice serving.

The number one enemy of compassion is BUSYNESS. We’ve got our agendas, plans, dreams, goals, ambitions. If we’re not careful we can find ourselves with a “Do Not Disturb” sign around our necks and over our hearts.

“Don’t disturb; I’ve got my goals. I’ve got my safe little life going here; don’t disturb me for the needs of other people.”

Real servants don’t mind being interrupted. If we really have a servant heart like Jesus we don’t mind being interrupted because our agenda is God’s agenda. We get up in the morning with the attitude: “OK, God, You want to bring somebody in my life today? Bring them in! Bring them on!”

Another barrier to availability: PERFECTIONISM ~ wanting every thing to be just right before we’ll serve.

“If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done.”
(Ecclesiastes 11:4)

Christ-like servants do the best they can with what they have for Jesus Christ today. They don’t wait.

In America we’ve made an idol out of excellence. “Well, you know if you can’t do it first class, don’t even try.”

“The Good Enough Principle” is a good rule to follow: Something doesn’t have to be perfect for God to bless it. If God only used perfect people, what would get done in this world? Nothing! We’re all a bunch of misfits. We all have weaknesses, faults, failures, handicaps. God doesn’t use perfect people. Do you know why? Because there aren’t any.

God says: “Don’t wait for perfect conditions” because they won’t be there. “Don’t wait for things to settle down” because they won’t ever until we’re dead.

A third barrier to our availability: MATERIALISM.

“No servant can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16:13)

We’ve got to decide whether we want to be rich or be blessed.

People can get so busy taking care of things that they don’t have time to take care of people.

The most important decision you’ll make in life once you become a child of God is: “Am I going to be a kingdom-builder or a wealth-builder?”

If God wants to give us wealth, that’s great. But it should not be the number one goal of our lives.
Remember: No U-Hauls in heaven. They only thing we get to take is our character.
~~~~~~~

2. Serving like Jesus means being GRATEFUL.

To serve like Jesus we have to be grateful that we get the opportunity to serve.

In John Chapter 11 Jesus’ friend Lazarus had died. Jesus went to Lazarus’ home, people thought for the funeral, but He had a different idea in mind. Jesus went there to minister; to raise Lazarus from the dead.

“Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You heard me. I know that You always hear Me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here.’” (John 11:41-42)

“I want them to know that I am grateful You heard Me”. Jesus had an attitude of gratefulness in everything He did.

The apostle Paul was grateful. He said, “I thank Jesus Christ because He trusted me. He gave me this work of serving Him.”

“Serve the Lord with gladness.” (Psalm 100:2)

Why do we serve God with gratefulness and not with a sense of duty? with a sense of delight and not from a sense of obligation? We serve Him with gratefulness because He’s given life to us through Jesus. He saved us! If God never did anything else for us, that in itself is more than enough for us to be grateful in serving Him for the rest of our lives.

“It is He who saved us and chose us for His holy work, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan.” (2 Timothy 1:9)

Now, as humans we tend to trip over ourselves on the way to serving God with gratefulness. There are some barriers that can get in the way.

COMPARING AND CRITICIZING. When we compare and criticize others, this is a barrier that gets in the way of being grateful.

“Who are you to criticize someone else’s servant? The Lord will determine whether His servant has been successful.”
(Romans 14:4)

We’re all HIS servants, and it’s a matter of His opinion only, not ours, about each of us. Competition with each other in serving doesn’t make sense because WE’RE ON THE SAME TEAM. We have the same goal. We’re trying to make God look good to the world. And God has given us different abilities and different assignments to accomplish that goal.

Human nature is such that we tend to compare ourselves to others and we let it steal joy and gratitude out of our lives. But when we look at all God has done for us, there’s no longer any need to compare and criticize. We come to realize that any time spent in comparing and criticizing is time we could have spent being grateful. We come to realize we’re living for an audience of One, and that comparing and criticizing get in the way of gratefulness.

WRONG MOTIVATIONS also get in the way of gratefulness.

“When you do good deeds, don’t try to show off. If you do, you won’t get a reward from your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1)

Self-promotion and servanthood don’t mix. A lot of service can be self-serving. We serve to get others to like us. We serve to be admired. We serve to achieve our own goals. Or, when we serve we’re thinking about how noble we are. We’re humble, but all the time we’re humble we’re thinking pridefully about how humble we are! That’s the struggle of service. Sometimes servanthood is just a way to try to manipulate God.

If we want to learn to serve like Jesus, we have to be available and learn to serve gratefully.

3. Serving like Jesus means being FAITHFUL.

What does that mean? It means you don’t give up; you keep on going; you don’t quit in the middle of your assignment.

“I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work You gave me to do.” (John 17:4)

I want to be able to say that when I get to heaven; I completed the work God gave me to do.

Jesus was faithful in fulfilling His service. He didn’t give up. He didn’t give in. He was persistent. If we’re going to be like Jesus it means we’re going to serve as long as we’re alive.

“The one thing required of servants is that they be faithful.” (1Corinthians 4:2)

How do we be faithful? WHAT MOTIVATES US to stay faithful in serving God over the long haul? BEING GRATEFUL for all God’s forgiven in our lives. Trust and faith in FUTURE REWARDS. Because IT MATTERS.

“Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for Him is a waste of time or effort.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

In God’s book there is no little service. “… if anyone gives even a cup of cold water…." (Matthew 10:42)

If we’re going to learn to be servants of God, we have to learn the difference between SIGNIFICANCE and PROMINENCE. On my body, while my nose is quite prominent, I could lose it and still live the rest of my life. On the other hand, if I lost my liver or my heart, although they don’t stick out like my nose, I’d be dead without them. They are significant.

People tend to think if something is given a lot of visibility, it’s the most important. Actually, it’s the stuff behind the scenes that is many times more important. But, with our limited perspective, we can’t see how our small acts can have big consequences.

Several years ago two teenage boys tried to come into a church service at night. It was packed out and they couldn’t find any seats, so they turned around and decided to leave. But one usher said, “Come on, guys. I’ll find you a seat.” And that usher personally found them two seats. That night both those boys became Christians. One of them was Billy Graham. Do you think that usher is going to get any credit in heaven? I’ll say!

We have no idea of the significance of small acts.

Real servants do every task with equal dedication because they know it all matters.

Do you realize you’re here at Hood River Nazarene because God knew you had something to give back? He did not bring you here to sit and soak. He brought you here to serve. He knows you have something – background, talent, skill, ability, contacts, whatever, that He can use in this place.
~~~~~~~
When you boil it all down, we can do two things with our life. We can waste it, or we can invest it. The best use of our life is to invest it in that which is going to OUTLAST IT.

One day we’re going to stand before God and He’s going to ask us: “What did you do with what I gave you, the talents, the abilities, the background, the experiences, the freedom, the education, the family experiences? What did you do with your SHAPE?” If we answer, “Well, God, I was a little busy with my ambitions and plans. I never got around to serving You,” GOD’S GOING TO SAY, “Wrong answer! What were you thinking? Do you think I put you on earth to live for yourself? I put you here to serve Me by serving others.”

“He will not forget how hard you’ve worked for Him and how you’ve shown your love to Him by caring for other Christians.” (Hebrews 6:10)

“Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things so; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21)

I want God to be able to say that about us. When we stand before God one day I want God to be able to look into our eyes and say to everyone of us: “Good job! Well done! You did what I put you here on earth to do. You WORSHIPED me, you FELLOWSHIPPED with other believers, you GREW IN CHARACTER to be like Christ, and you SERVED Me, the way I shaped you. Come on in and enjoy eternity and all the rewards I’ve planned for you.”

We started today talking about Elvis. Did you know the only Grammy award he won for an album, out of 250 million albums sold, was for a religious album called, “He Touched Me”?

Is God going to be able to say “well done” to you? Is there anything in your schedule that’s making you too busy? Are you waiting for things to slow down? Do you have other priorities?

One day Napoleon pointed at a map of China and said, “There lies a sleeping giant. If it ever wakes up it will shake the world.”

Folks, HRCN is a sleeping giant. If everybody who came here served here, what kind of enormous, spiritual, nuclear reaction could we see in Hood River?

The most important thing we’ll ever do with our lives is serve God in ministry. It’s far more important than our careers, our hobbies, anything else we could think of because those things aren’t going to last.

PRAYER

Father I realize that I was shaped to serve You by serving others. Forgive me for the times I’ve put a “DO NOT DISTURB” sign on my heart. Help me to see the interruptions as opportunities to serve. Help me to make time for what matters most. You’ve been so good to me. I want to give something back. I want to serve You freely and gratefully and faithfully. I want to practice before I get to heaven so one day I can hear You say “Well done, good and faithful servant.” In Your name I pray, Amen.