March 24th
“And now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, ‘The LORD Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established before you.” 2 Samuel 7:25-26 NIV
David was a man who considered himself a servant of the Lord. What does it mean to be a servant of the Lord? When we consider the characteristics of David’s life, we can see many indications of his “servanthood” to God. For example, here are some characteristics I noticed about David:
- He surrendered and dedicated his life to God
- He looked out for God’s interests and sought to protect God’s reputation
- He risked his life to defend God’s name in faith that God would protect him
- He often referred to himself as the Lord’s servant
- He turned down opportunities to do things for personal gain (ex. he declined 2 opportunities to kill Saul)
- He respected God and feared disobeying him
- After he sinned, he always returned to God in repentance
- He had a humble heart
- He invested time and effort in worshipping the Lord
If we take a snapshot of our own lives, we can compare our own attitudes with David’s concerning God. How close are we to seeing ourselves as God’s servants? As I considered David’s example, I realized that I had spent a good portion of my life serving myself, not God. During the years of walking away from God, my life was centered on materialism, pleasure and pride. My relationship with God was a side issue, instead of being the central issue. David saw himself as a servant to the King, where I saw myself as a servant to no one.
One of the dangers of pornography and other sexualized material is that it caters to a self-serving mindset. It promotes an “anything goes” philosophy of pleasure seeking, often in flagrant mockery of God. The sex industry is built on peoples’ natural desires to serve themselves, using the resources (time, money and attention) they have. Trying to break out of the self-serving mindset can be a tough task because it involves saying “No” to our flesh, which has been conditioned to have its own way.
Pursuing a God-serving mindset will help us break the self-serving mindset. For example, Paul discussed in 1 Corinthians 6 how our bodies and sexuality are to be under the Lord’s control. He wrote, “The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body” (1 Corinthians 6:13). Our bodies are literally temples of the Holy Spirit. Simply remembering that our bodies are God’s property and that they have a very special function for God can help us dismiss many of the temptations that we face daily.
Shifting to a servant mindset is ultimately part of the larger transformation process that the Holy Spirit will guide us through as we walk with God. It can seem impossible at times, but we can continue in confidence knowing that the Holy Spirit will help us do the impossible.
Questions for further thought:
When we are God’s servants, how does he provide for our needs? (Matthew 6:33; Psalm 84:11; Psalm 34:10)
When we turn away from God’s provision to other sources, how does that jeopardize our servant mindset?
What does it mean to make Jesus “Lord” of your life?
Prayer:
“Heavenly Father, I am your servant, I serve in your kingdom and I surrender my body, soul and spirit to do your will today. Please forgive me and cleanse me from any sin I have committed. I want to be a vessel suitable and honorable for your purposes. Please help me to be ever mindful that I am your servant. Thank you Father! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”