WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SERVE GOD? by Deirdre April 25, 2014 Sometimes people will post questions in our message box which when answered is a benefit to all. I received such a question this morning and the question essentially asked what does it mean to serve God? ORIGINAL QUESTION • please i would like you to xplain to me wat john12:25 really means, thank you. First let us Look at John 12:25 in context - John 12:23-John 12:26 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. - John 12:23-12:26 In context, John 12:23-26 explains what it means to serve God. Many people say they believe in Jesus Christ, and they declare that He is the Son of God. But even the demons believe in Jesus Christ and declare that He is the Son of God. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder. - James 2:19 Demons also came out of many, crying out, You are the Son of God! But he rebuked them, and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. - Luke 4:41 So how does believing in Jesus and declaring that Jesus is the Son of God make you any different than a demon? It doesnt. The difference between you and a demon is established by obeying God and serving God. That is what John 12:23-26 explains. The person who serves God gives up their life for Him by obeying His commandments. SO HERE IS MY ANSWER TO THE PERSON WHO ASKED THE QUESTION .... THE MEANING IS DIFFERENT FOR EACH PERSON WITH RESPECT TO WHAT YOU MUST GIVE UP, SO YOU MUST PRAY FOR AN ANSWER, AND GOD WILL PROVIDE THE ANSWER FOR YOUR SITUATION. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. - James 1:5 However, in general, it means you must give up all of your possessions to follow Jesus. You must be willing to give up your life for Jesus, because Jesus gave up His life for you. Other scripture explain John 12:25 more clearly. Discipleship Tested (Luke 14:25-33) Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not [n]hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. - Luke 14:25-33 Salvation comes only to those who let go of their lifes possessions. This is explained in many other scripture: Revelation 12:10-11 New International Version (NIV) 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. FOR ME PERSONALLY, IT MEANT GIVING UP MY BUSINESS TO START THE MINISTRY OF SECOND TIMOTHY, INC. -- IT MEANT GIVING UP $65 PER HOUR WORK AND WAITING ON GOD TO PROVIDE -- WHICH SOMETIMES MEANT GOING TO THE PUBLIC FREE FOOD PANTRY TO GET FOOD TO EAT OR HUMBLING MYSELF BY DOING MENIAL WORK (LIKE CLEANING SOMEONE ELSES TOILETS FOR $12 PER HOUR OR OTHER WORK FOR LESS THAN MINIMUM WAGE, OR SOMETIMES IT MEANT OBEYING COMMANDS THAT SUBJECTED ME TO PERSECUTION, FINANCIAL LOSS, REJECTION, RIDICULE AND MOCKERY SUCH AS WHEN THE LORD SENT ME TO DELIVER MESSAGES TO MY HUSBAND AND HIS MISTRESS -- BUT I WAS REQUIRED TO DO ALL THESE THINGS AND HUMBLE MYSELF BEFORE THE LORD IN ORDER TO PROVE TO GOD THAT I AM WILLING TO GIVE UP MY LIFE FOR HIM, THAT I DO NOT CHERISH ANYTHING ABOVE HIM ... BUT THAT IS MY SALVATION STORY ... YOUR SALVATION -- IF SALVATION COMES FOR YOU WILL BE DIFFERENT. YOU MAY FOLLOW MY SALVATION STORY (WHICH GOD HAS DECLARED IS THE EXAMPLE) AT WWW.THEMINISTRYOF2TIMOTHY.ORG (CLICK THE MENU OPTION THAT SAYS MY SALVATION STORY) I HOPE THIS INFORMATION HELPS - DEIRDRE
Posted on: Fri, 25 Apr 2014 19:08:26 +0000
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