March 16th, 2006
What a week it has been. I must admit, I am tired. I went to the hospital yesterday for tests… no word as to what the results are… and honestly, I just want an answer to the cause of the pain in my leg. Last night, I got to help teach in the kid’s class during midweek. It was a blast; however keeping the kids in order is always a big deal for me. The fact that I am just a big kid is always a cause for right with the children. Yesterday, I noticed a couple of city workers working along the city sidewalks. I was quite impressed with their hard work, but I couldn't understand what they were doing. Finally, I approached the workers and asked, “I appreciate how hard you're both working, but what the heck are you doing? It seems that one of you digs a hole, and then the other guy immediately fills it back up again.” One of the city workers explained, “The third guy who plants the trees is off sick today.” OK, I slipped a joke in there… couldn’t help it, really. But for the CR guys out there, remember that Confucius says, “Man who stands on toilet is high on pot.”
One thing first, though… if anyone wants to join a yahoo sports fantasy baseball league with me and some other Christians, go to http://baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/. The league name is Rangers Rule, the league ID is 54016, and the password is rangersrock. There is a maximum of 20 teams in this league, the draft is Saturday afternoon (and you can preorder your picks prior to the draft if you can’t be there), and there is only 3 teams signed up thus far (and I only signed up once, for those who might be wondering).
OK… now onto the actual study for today. In some sports, like Volleyball, the offense has the ball and serves it to the team defending… the server has the ball. And that brought on an idea… as a servant of God and Christ, I serve… that is, of course, the idea behind the word servant. It is the root word. But as a servant, I control the ball (at least, in a sense). I can choose where I would like to serve and I have the freedom to go here and serve and then go there and serve.
Ephesians 6:5-8 (NIV)
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
Ephesians 6:5-8 (NIV – changes mine based on E-Sword)
5 Servant, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve with kindness, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
Now, if this was in regards to Volleyball, I would serve a nice lofty ball that would be easily hit… and there would be no spiking. I would also play a defensive game, because I would have respect and fear of my opponent. And if they wanted a point and to send the ball to then, I would have to do so just to win their favor. Doesn’t sound like a fun game, really… simply takes the sport right out of it. But, I guess this would be Volleyball according to Ephesians 6.
Galatians 5:13-15 (NIV)
13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 15 If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
Bite (verb):
- To cut, grip, or tear with or as if with the teeth.
- To pierce the skin of with the teeth, fangs, or mouthparts.
- To sting with a stinger.
- To cut into with or as if with a sharp instrument.
- To grip, grab, or seize.
- To eat into; corrode.
- To cause to sting or be painful.
Galatians 5:13-15 (NIV – changes mine based on E-Sword)
13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, be a slave to one another in love. 14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Have much Love for your fellow man as greatly as yourself." 15 If you keep on thwarting and beating each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
It is great having the E-Sword and checking out the Greek and Hebrew meanings… I don’t do it all that often, but when I do, it sheds new light onto things. Galatians really shows me what it means to serve. It shows me how I need to serve. I need to be a slave to others. I need to serve them with a loving heart. And in the US of A, the word slave is considered a no-no word. American attitude is to be all about me and my needs. And when I have that attitude, I begin to beat others down, I begin to oppose and defeat efforts of others and squish any ambitions they might have… not God like at all. Wow, very eye opening this QT has been… at least for me. Catchya again tomorrow, God-willing. Johnny Out.
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