Becoming a Servant for the King

S Matthew 23:11 ESV

The greatest among you shall be your servant.

O

What a reversal of mindset! Our world and our culture is all about ME. I mean the song by Toby Keith ( I really don’t like country music), “I want to talk about me” is an anthem for us. It is all about me and here Jesus says it MUST be about others. If we want to be great in the Kingdom of God. The one that continues on for all eternity, we must be servants. We must put others first and get their best interests at the forefront. This is a HUGE shift in thinking and also in living.

A

As I read that verse over and over again, as I think about it and meditate on what it means to be great and to be a servant; I see that there is a total shift that has to happen in my life. I know what “I like and what I want,” but Jesus says that if I am going to be great in His Kingdom then I must serve. Serving others must be a disciplined area in my life, meaning I must discipline myself to do it or I won’t. I am looking for places and people to serve. This is becoming a focused activity, because if I don’t, then I will NEVER do it.

P

Lord, my prayer is to be about Your work and to be seen as GOOD in Your eyes. You have stated that to do so I must serve others. I come asking You to show me those whom You would have me to serve. I am Your vessel, mold me and make me into who You desire me to be and to do what You desire me to do.

Amen.

Staff Appreciation

As I sat in staff meeting yesterday I started to think about the people in the room and how THANKFUL I was that they were there.

Liz Alexander flat LOVES kids! She is always thinking about how they are doing and what will be the best way to reach/teach/grow them. She is PHENOMENAL! Every week, well lets just say a lot of weeks, Liz will call me/text me just to say how much she loves her job. I try to thank her for all that she does and means to the kids at Riverbend. I fall short!

Clay Taylor is pouring his life into the youth. He desires to see them grow spiritually and to grow together as a group. The Source ministry is growing numerically, but even more I believe the youth are growing SPIRITUALLY. Clay is doing a great job and I am so thankful for him to be here at this time to pour into the lives of our youth.

David Fields is GREAT. The other night I had a nightmare that he left. I don’t think I slept well for two nights after that! He does an AWESOME job with the praise band and leading us to God’s throne each and every week we come together. I truly believe we have the BEST worship pastor around, but even more than that, his look/slant/view on other ministry areas is spot on and needed.

I am blessed beyond measure to be a part of this staff! Riverbend we are blessed to have have each of them leading out in their perspective areas. We don’t say it enough, but sometime this week call/text/facebook/email/whatever one of them and tell them thanks.

Staff I LOVE YOU and appreciate ALL that you do!

Pastor Brian

SOAP Thursday 1/13 Matthew 11:1-30 (28-30)

S Matthew 11:28-30 ESV

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

O

Here are a few directions and then a couple of statement/promises made by Jesus.

1. We are to Come to Him; Take His Yoke and Learn from Him.
2. He will give rest; He is gentle; His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
3. Once we act (#1) then we will see His actions (#2). He has already done His, but we are somewhat blinded by life, until we bow before Him.
4. To do this one must die to self. One must allow Him to rule/reign in their life. He is key to life!

A

Coming to Him is not as hard as staying w/ Him. I must come and stay/remain there with Him. Once I stay there with Him I will see His actions and I will be able to learn from Him and take His yoke. I know He cares/LOVES me because of His coming and dying for me. The “ball” is in my court. I will come and take Your yoke and Your rest Oh Lord.

P

Lord please teach me as I come and remain with You today. God I NEED You and I desire for You to fill me with Yourself today. Lord I know You are faithful to complete all that You say. I believe You are in control of this life and that You will use me for Your glory today. I die to self and to sin! Please fill me with Your presence.

Amen.

S Matthew 10:1-42 (37-39)

[37] Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. [38] And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. [39] Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

O

Love - phileo - to have affection for. The one who has more affection for physical relationships (father, mother, sister, brother, son or daughter) more than for JESUS is not worthy of Him. The relationship bond between a person and their physical family is strong, but the bond between them and JESUS MUST be stronger. If not we are that relationship is not worthy, it doesn’t have weight or value.

Taking up “his cross” or your cross is HUGE. It was and still needs to be looked at as sign of death. Even though we wear them as jewelry the cross denotes death. JESUS is saying we must die to be able to follow Him. Death to sin; death to desires; death to self must come about to be worthy of Him. He is MORE than worthy, and when He has given Himself to you, you won’t be disappointed.

A

Love and Affection to JESUS is of utmost importance, as well as dying to self. LOVE is spelled - TIME. Time in His Word. Time on my knees. Time teaching, learning, growing, reading. Losing Life (the physical life and its desires) will find life (eternal, permanent, true life).

P

Lord I bow my head and cry out to You today for forgiveness. Lord I see where my LOVE has been. It has been on self and physical things. My love/affection has not been on You. I have given “lip service” and I desire to give You what You are WORTHY of. Father and Savior I give myself to You right now. I die! Please fill me with Your Spirit, and rule in me. I am Yours; I ask You to guide me today and send me out just as You sent out the 12. Oh Lord, I desire to be used and to magnify Your Holy Name to those around me today.

Amen.

SOAP Tuesday 1/11/11- Matthew 9:1-38 (9)

Remember my posts are not for your consumption so to speak. They are examples! The challenge is for YOU to get into God's Word and allow Him to speak to YOU. Remember-we are reading about Jesus so that we can be like Jesus.

S Matthew 9:1-38 (9)

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

O Matthew was doing his job. A very well paying job, collecting taxes. Leaving this job would probably mean that he would no longer have an income, and that he would be hated by both the Romans, his former employer and also the Jews those whom he collected taxes from.

Matthew would be a loner! This meant the stability of life was over and also that he could probably turn to no one in a crisis.

Yet Matthew dropped it all and followed Jesus.

A

I must be willing to drop whatever and follow Christ. He is ALL to me and therefore when He directs me I must follow. Will it always be easy, popular, quaint, “bed of roses”? No! But I must come to the place where I see Him as provider and protector of my life and if He is, then I must be willing to go where He desires me to go.

P

Lord please show me Your way for my life! God I am yours and I desire You to lead me. I will follow You!

Amen.

SOAP Matthew 4:1-25 (1-3, 10) 1/6/11

S Matthew 4:1-3, 10

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3 And the tempter came andsaid to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." 10 Then Jesus said to him,"Go, Satan ! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY."

O

1. The Spirit of God led Jesus into the Wilderness. The wilderness is a unique place spiritually speaking. It is a place of learning/wandering/discipline. Here it is a place of retreat from the world and a place of trials.

2. The Spirit led Christ to be tried by the devil. This was all in the plan of God. He has Christ go and be tempted like I am. Christ fights off temptation the ONLY way I can-with Scripture.

3. Satan comes at an opportune time. After 40 days of fasting from food. Jesus is hungry and at that time Satan comes.

4. Jesus is still in control of Himself. Satan could not make Him sin; all he can do (and does well I might add) is tempt.

A

There are two things I must apply from this passage if I want to learn from it. 1. I must determine why I am in the wilderness. Is it to learn? to be disciplined? a retreat? When I find myself there, I must know why I am there. 2. Satan has no POWER over me. I am not his! He can't make me do anything. Sure he bluffs a GREAT game, but I must remember that he is not in control. The way I combat him is by God's Word. Jesus could have "thumped" him across the universe, but you and I can't. So Jesus fought Satan off the only way you and I can. So I must remember that and put it into practice when I get tempted.

P

Lord my prayer is a simple one. Please show me why You have me in the wilderness when I am there. May I not be upset, angry, calloused to it, but may I seek You and be able to sense why You have me there. Lord I know that You don't allow Satan to tempt me more than I can withstand (with Your help), so please show me the way out of each temptation that Satan brings at me. Lord I love You; thank You for Jesus.

Soap Wednesday 1/5/11- Matthew 3:1-17 (11-12)

S Matthew 3:1-17 (11-12)

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

O

1. John knew his place and the place of the one coming after him.
2. His orders were to go out and tell that Messiah was coming; “the kingdom is at hand.” He did and a part of that was to baptize with water those who were seeking repentance/ coming back to the Father.
3. Jesus on the other hand was coming and when He comes He will “reap” the wheat. He will stand on the threshing floor and reap the harvest. Those not a part of the harvest will be burned with fire.
4. The harvest will come to an end, and Jesus will come and go to the threshing floor. I don't know when that will be, but it will come.

A

My actions today are to be similar of John the Baptist’s. He went out to tell of Jesus’ coming. I am to do the same. John went out before He came the 1st time; I am to go out before His 2nd coming. Jesus is coming! Therefore I must, I MUST, go.

P

Lord show me today who You would want me to speak with. God I am Yours! You direct my going out and my coming in. Use me today for Your Glory!