Form of a Bond-Servant

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who...emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant..." (Philippians 2:5-6a, 7a).

Jesus was a sort of bond-servant to God - He served God above all else. What does it mean that He emptied Himself? Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. Even though He was God, He left His home and came to earth. He didn't lose His identity as divine, since we know He experienced temptations but was still without sin. He endured ridicule from some and suffering on the cross, knowing that He was God's Son and that He had a greater purpose to be a part of God's plan - to save His people.

How can we have the attitude of a bond-servant, like Christ? Christ served God first, no matter the cost. As believers, we've acknowledged our need of Him and received His grace. We now seek to serve Him first, but we can still struggle. Trip Lee offers encouragement in this arena, from his song, "We Told 'Em" -

"So we know that He's great, but we don't reflect Him well,

So when we told 'em that He saves, it was hard for them to tell

So it's time to live this thing, in light of the God who reigns

Let's not try to cause Him pain, show them a pic of the God who came."

Lord, thank You for showing us amazing grace. Work in us and help us put You first in our lives. Help us be a changed people, people who are a better reflection of You. Amen.

"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men" (Colossians 3:23).

For a reference on being a bond-servant to Christ, see Paul's note in Galatians 1:10.
Verses from the New American Standard Bible.
Study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999).
Hear Trip Lee's song, "We Told 'Em," on YouTube here.

T.H.I.N.K. Before You Speak!

This picture is full of some awesome powerful truths based on God's Word to T.H.I.N.K. about and practice daily! 

As His witness, the words we speak make a difference in the lives of others!  Let's all T.H.I.N.K. before we speak!  Like many wise women have said "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all!"  Also, in the world we live today, we could also add, "If you can't text, twitter, or e-mail anything nice, don't post it at all!!"(TJ)

T.H.I.N.K. is based on Ephesians 4:29-30 = "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom ...

you were sealed for the day of redemption." (nasb) LOVE "the message" paraphrase too "Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word is a gift. Don't grieve God. Don't break His heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for Himself. Don't take such a gift for granted."!!!!! (the message)

The Holy Spirit gives us the power to be able to live out Ephesians 4:29-30!  The Holy Spirit will Bless you as His Witnesses as you  T.H.I.N.K. about Every Word Shared for His Glory so that None Will Perish!

This song is a great example of Ephesians 4:29-30!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKfhlHoemPI  ("May The Words of My Mouth" by Christy Nockels/Janna Long)

We pray for Christ's attitude

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus." 
-Philippians 2:3-5 (New American Standard Bible)   

What does Christ's attitude look like?  In this chapter, we can read how Christ is the ultimate example of selfless love.  God came down to earth and walked along the streets of His creation.  He showed us how to love with humility, even suffering on the cross, so we wouldn't have to pay the price for our sins against Him.

How does that impact us?  We are changed, not because we are wise or perfect, but because of what God does with our lives when we ask for forgiveness and turn to Him.  God is the One who can transform us from the inside out.  When we receive Him into our lives, we let Him take the reins and lead.  As He works on our hearts, He heals us.

How does this impact our life?  Recently, my community group, friends and family chipped in, in different ways, to help me move from Louisville to Houston.  Moving can take so much time and can feel exhausting, and it was a blessing to have their help.  As we serve Christ, God is working through us.  Hopefully, as we serve Him, others will see more of who this God that we serve is, and want to know Him, too.

Lord, thanks for sending Your Son, Jesus, to sacrifice for us.  Help us see how to have an attitude of humility.  Please help us live out of a deep love for you and a desire to help others know You, too.  Amen.

A great video - YouTube music video "Be" by Selah

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29, NASB).

For more study: Philippians 2:1-18, Romans 15, Philippians 1:1, Galatians 1:10

The above study was based on the "Praying God's Heart" guide for study from HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Martin, 1999).
Photo from icaruscreative.org

Thank You, God!

"Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Acknowledge that the LORD is God. He made us, and we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the LORD is good, and His love is eternal; His faithfulness endures through all generations."! Psalm 100

Autumn is in the air! All week I have heard people say, "Wow, I love this cooler weather after a very hot summer!" Everywhere we go we see the signs of our season of thankfulness called Autumn: Pumpkins, Pine Cones, Changing Leaves, Bales of Hay, Scarecrows, Candy Corn, Earth-tone Colors, and most of all signs of Thankfulness to God!

The psalmist teaches us how to thank God as we enter our daily attitudes with thankfulness and praise. As we walk in an attitude of gratefulness we have many opportunities to share the one and only author of blessings, JESUS, with others!

People, especially people that need the Lord, have voids in their lives that they are trying to fill with earthy worldly things. What are some of the voids in the lives of people that need the Lord? As a first-generation Christian that didn't hear about and accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior until I was in my 20's, let me share with you some of the things that were missing in my life as someone that needed The Lord; I was missing - peace, belonging, gratefulness, purpose, direction, joy, and much more!

As Christ's disciples and witnesses when we share simple things that we Thank God for, He can use our attitudes of gratitude to draw people to Jesus! What are 2 ways that we can do this?

• Worship God For Who He Is! Share With Others The Reason God is First In Your Life! (Always Present~Always Providing~Always Personal, etc.)
• Thank God For What He Does! Share With Others The Ways God Has Blessed Your Life! (Salvation~Forgiveness~Hope, etc.)

As blessings come into our lives, give thanks to God. Simply say, "Thank You, God!" When someone compliments you on anything that you know was from God's Grace working in or through you, give thanks to God. Simply say, "Thank You, God!" And be willing to share times in your life that you were not walking with Him or were not thankful so that those that we are sharing with can relate!

When we regularly thank and praise God for the good and difficult events in our lives, God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3), an atmosphere of thankfulness which conversations about Jesus are more likely to take place.

As a new season of Autumn, let's ask God (pray) for an attitude of gratitude. Let's also ask God (pray) to help us count our many blessings daily. Let's ask God (pray) to remind us to be quick to acknowledge the One who is the Provider in our lives, the Provider of all our inspiration and creativity = Jesus!

God's Word promises that if we will openly acknowledge Him before others now, He will openly acknowledge us before God!! (Matt.10:32)

with grace and heart

"He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend." -Proverbs 22:11

This Monday, when I came back from my fall reading break, I was happy to see the two girls that I babysit. They are in first and third grade, and I take care of them after school. We laughed as the first grader dotted her nose with ice cream while the third grader crowned her with a sombrero made of a paper napkin. We get along well, but sometimes starting homework is not so fun.

This past Monday was Columbus Day, so the girls had homework about the holiday. The younger one had a reading booklet, but told me that she did not want to read it. When I asked her to read it anyway, she sighed and said it was just for fun. Then, I asked her if I could read it. Both of them looked up as she responded, "Sure." After I read the first page and began explaining its picture, she took the booklet from me and began to read it to us on her own.

This may sound simple, but it was a revelation for me! In the past, I think I had approached asking them to do homework with more of an attitude that was not so filled with the Spirit. However, on that Columbus Day, I saw that my attitude could make a difference on the experience of homework. When I spoke with more grace, I was showing them that I had hope in them and that the process could be an enjoyable. That day, homework had become a fun adventure instead of a heartless duty.

I pray that there will be more days like this where I choose to live and speak with an attitude and a heart that is more like Jesus!

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." -Psalm 51:10

Picture from http://www.visitoakpark.com/