Blog Layout
Serving
Andrea Lende • July 16, 2020
Matthew 8:14-15
Serving
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Serving-egr7df
Daily Word:
Matthew 8:14-15
“And when Jesus went into Peter’s house, He saw his mother-in-law lying ill with a fever.”
“He touched her hand and the fever left her; and she got up and began waiting on Him.”
Jesus healed so many people.
Too many to count.
And I’m sure there are many more who He healed that were not recorded in the Bible.
In our verse today, Jesus healed Peter’s mother.
She was sick and had a fever.
Immediately upon touching her, the fever was gone.
And immediately after that, she began serving Him.
These two short verses are very powerful.
As I read them this morning, I saw something new that I hadn’t seen before.
When my children are sick, I tend to wait on them and sort of baby them.
I always have.
And even when they seem to be better, I still wait on them with special attention for a few days.
Our scripture today says that as soon as the fever was gone, Peter’s mother got up and started serving Jesus.
There was no time to relax for her.
There was nothing written in our verses that suggest she was served and was made comfortable before serving others.
She was able, so she did.
She was exceedingly fortunate to serve the Messiah, the Christ.
Nonetheless, she served as soon as she got up from her sick bed.
These two short verses show me that we should continue to serve whenever we are able.
I have found myself thinking more about me during this whole pandemic.
I often think what can I do for me today?
How can I feel good today?
And while health is extremely important, that’s not the ‘feel good’ that I think about.
It’s more like what can I do to make me happy today?
But that’s not where real happiness comes from.
Real happiness doesn’t come from things I can do to make me happy, but it comes in blessing another.
It comes with serving another.
I feel like God is showing me more and more of this concept, or wisdom, every time I open the Bible as of late.
He is showing me that I shouldn’t prefer me and my desires, but that I need to prefer others and help them.
Today I choose to serve others and pray that the Lord will put joy in my heart as I do His will.
May you find that serving others brings joy and happiness to you this day.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me that serving others is of primary importance in Your kingdom. Thank You for gently enfolding me in Your love as You show me more about how to live inside of Your will. As You lead and guide me Your mercy is upon me. I can feel Your grace wash over me as You show me more about how to live and be closer to You as I do Your will. Strengthen me as I move through this day. I pray that You will put joy in my heart and soul as I serve others, Lord. I pray for a joyful heart. Help me do as You ask and follow Your gentle whispers. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM asking you to serve My people and I will give you the strength to do so and will bless you as you follow Me.
Response: Thank You, most merciful and gracious God.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.