Servants Follow.

John 12:26

“If anyone serves me,

he must follow me;

and where I am,

there will my servant be also.

If anyone serves me,

the Father will honor him.”

If, the word that is hardest for me to hear. I don't like ifs especially ones that are dependent on my actions. The fear of failing and never reaching the goal is constant, but that fear is not from God. However think of the condition for serving Jesus, “he must follow me.” Jesus is deeply troubled in Spirit at this point, His hour has come. He asks if He should ask the Father to save Him from this hour, yet He knew that for this hour He had come into the world. With this in mind think of where Jesus would be asking them to follow Him. A servant must die to self in order to follow Jesus and quite often physical death. Well that is what we must do to follow Him. But I realize as I look at this scripture something else. To serve Jesus we must walk close with Him. This is the secret to not getting so caught up in ministry that we miss the point.

We must die to self daily, that may come by walking closer in our devotions, and by being more transparent with God. As I read in Be Filled Now all God desires is for us to confess and allow Him to work in us by submitting to His word and saying “Truth LORD.” “For if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1^st John 1:9

If you want to serve Jesus you must walk closely with Him, for only then will you know the desires of His heart, and how He will want you to serve Him. The heart of a servant that God desires I feel is like the women who washed Jesus feet. Her desire was to love Jesus, and with her tears and hair she washed His feet. Oh that our desire would be like hers. What an incredible heart, contrite of her sins, and seeking to love and give to Jesus. Or like Mary who sat at Jesus feet and listened. She just wanted to soak in Jesus words, and listen to Him.

I have empty hands, I have nothing that God needs, and in fact find myself needing from Him. As I receive I want to give, and I want to receive more. I want more of God every day. I feel a deep thirst for Him. I hate feeling numb. And instead of ignoring it I ask God to break me again. I don't want to get comfortable I want to get closer.

“If anyone serves me, he must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.”

You can tell a servant of Jesus by looking at there life, you can see the glow in there eyes. They are with Jesus. Every morning they are up earliest. During worship they are excited, surrendered and soulful. In their speech they are gracious. Perhaps the best way to know when someone is a servant of God is that they are so close to Him they act just like Him.

“If anyone serves me, the Father will honor Him.”

Here is a promise and a wonderful one at that, if you serve Jesus the Father will honor you. Not only Is Jesus calling you to walk closely with Him, and die to self daily, but living that way gains honor from God our heavenly Father. What more can we want. And what a joy we can have as a servant of Jesus.

Application.

Walk closer to God through quiet time and dying to self.

How?

Tomorrow I will get up at 5:30 to have more time to pray and seek Jesus.