In one of his sermons, Charles Spurgeon said, The heir of heaven serves his Lord simply out of gratitude; he has no salvation to gain, no heaven to lose;…now, out of love to the God who chose him, and who gave so great a price for his redemption, he desires to lay out himself entirely to his Master’s service. O you who are seeking salvation by the works of the law, what a miserable life yours must be...you have that if you diligently persevere in obedience, you may perhaps obtain eternal life, though, alas! None of you dare to pretend that you have attained it. You toil and toil and toil, but you never get that which you toil after, and you never will, for, “by the works of the law there shall no flesh living be justified.”…The child of God works not for life, but from life; he does not work to be saved, he works because he is saved.[1] There are many different gifts, and the Spirit, in His sovereign wisdom, determines who receives which. Peter highlights two essential truths: (1) every believer has been given a spiritual gift, and (2) that gift has been entrusted to us for service. You don’t need to know the precise name or category of your gift before you begin serving. That uncertainty should never keep you on the sidelines. Every gift matters. Every gift is necessary. And we are not called to measure our usefulness by whether our gift appears “big” or “prestigious” in the eyes of others. J. I. Packer wisely reminds us: “The most significant gifts in the church’s life in every era are ordinary natural abilities sanctified.” True service is rarely about public recognition. In fact, most Christians will serve quietly, unseen by many, and yet the work done in those hidden places is often the most vital work of all. But service does require something from us: discipline. A conscious, intentional effort. A willingness to step forward and offer ourselves to God for the good of others In part 3 of The Principle of Serving, Dr. Gonzalez finishes exploring why and what service should be. In this message he teaches that service should be dependent and selfless. [1] C. H. Spurgeon, Serving the Lord with Gladness, in Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit (London: Passmore and Alabaster, 1868; reprint, Pasadena, TX: Pilgrim Publications, 1989), vol. 13, pgs. 495-496. _________________________________________________________________________________ Today’s podcast was brought to you by Time in the Word. As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace. Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word. For additional resources, or if you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.
