Don't Let Your Flesh Corrupt Your Service To The Lord

My Utmost For His Highest

I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls… —2 Corinthians 12:15

{CHAMBERS}  “Once “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,” we deliberately begin to identify ourselves with Jesus Christ’s interests and purposes in others’ lives (Romans 5:5). […] We have no right in Christian service to be guided by our own interests and desires. In fact, this is one of the greatest tests of our relationship with Jesus Christ. The delight of sacrifice is that I lay down my life for my Friend, Jesus (see John 15:13). I don’t throw my life away, but I willingly and deliberately lay it down for Him and His interests in other people. And I do this for no cause or purpose of my own. Paul spent his life for only one purpose— that he might win people to Jesus Christ. Paul always attracted people to his Lord, but never to himself. He said, “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).”

{ELGIN}  Why do you do what you do?  Is it because of the unction of the Holy Spirit?  A result of a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus?  Or perhaps it is because of what you have reasoned out in your own mind as the reasonable thing to do.  Do you use what others do or don’t do as  the measure for what you will or won’t do in your service to them?  There is a fine line between being a good steward and usurping the Lord and taking His place as the provider and decider.  I am not talking about turning a blind eye toward thievery and corruption, but deciding someone is worthy or not, based solely upon our natural judgement and not the leading of the Holy Spirit.  The former requires natural reason, the latter, faith.  In the former, we think that we are pleasing God and in the latter, we are pleasing God.  In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) one servant hid the talent and did not use it for its intended purpose thinking the it we would the Lord that he had protected it.  Instead the Lord took it from him and gave it to the one who had out his talents to use (perhaps by faith and not by sight).  Again in Matthew 25, the sheep and the goats both asked “Lord, when did we see you?” and the Lord answered (Matthew 25:40,45) “When you did (sheep) or didn’t (goats) do for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did (or didn’t) do for Me.” Be careful that you don’t let your flesh and lack of faith corrupt your service.