Daily Huddle - Sun Apr 5, 2020 Serve

Love you all, praying for you. 
 
God has put a word on my heart recently - serve.  What does that really mean? Going to church?  Handing out waters at sporting events, doing something nice for somebody?  What does it really mean?  There seems to be two serves that God mentions.  Serve Him and Serve Others.  And it seems to be a really big deal to God.  Psalms 100:2 – Serve the LORD with gladness!  Come into his presence with singing!  Exodus 23:25 – You must serve only the LORD your God.  If you do, I will bless your food and water, and I will take away sickness from among you.  He gave warnings.  Deuteronomy 5:8-10 – You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind, or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.  You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those that reject me.  But I lavish unfailing love on a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands (Love is Obey).  Deuteronomy 30:17 - But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed.  You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.  So what is He talking about?  Serve – abad <aw-bad’> to come under the authority of… to be a servant, bound to service without wages, to work for, attend to on command, to wait on, to comply with, to submit to, to worship, to run errands, an attendant, a waiter.  God said – Come under my authority! Do not submit yourselves under any other authority.  My Word to you (that's PiVAT) and My Words to you (that's PRISM) should direct you, not theirs.  People don’t really make idols out of wood and stone these days… So how does that apply in this generation?  Romans 6:16 - Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteousness.  So what is sin? – falling short of what He planned – doing something other than what He directs you to do.  Isaiah 55 -  All we like sheep have gone astray – we have turned every one to his own way – and the LORD has laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all.  To serve – is to come under His authority.  That’s why PiVAT – what He told you to do today (Romans 12:1) – and PRISM – the confirmation – (Romans 12:2) the why to and how to – of what He told you to do... is so important.  If your time and your mind (and your money) are under His authority – you serve Him alone – not any other desire or any other authority.  John 12:26 – Whoever serves me, let him follow me, so that where I am, my servant also will be.  If anyone serves me the Father will honor him.  Wow – what would your life be like if God honored you?  Every time you obey what He tells you– you’re serving Him.  Praying for you - that every day in PiVAT before dinner - you are asking God what He wants you to do tomorrow - to serve Him.  Serving God isn't a mystery or a guess, just ask Him - He's just waiting to tell you - so you can walk in the good that He has planned for you! How else would you?  Praying that you will always serve God with your mind – PRISM – those five things in God’s Word that you can do – that transform the way you think!  And that you are Giving an Account – of your resources – 4C’s – knowing where God’s money is – so you can do what He tells you to do with it.  Praying that your testimony is powerful every day – God said His way – is a Daily Call – Heb 3:13 – ‘Exhort one another daily’  And praying that you are in community – on a team with other obeyers – so that every week you are declaring the praises of Him - who called you out of darkness (serving another) and into His marvelous light (where you know His plans and do them gladly)  So the testimonies that He brings are the overcoming flame that brings joy – so you can continue every day to serve the LORD with gladness.  His plans are Good, His Word is true, His promises for you are sure and His love for you endures forever!
 
Love you all,
dad