DRAWING NEAR
October 6
Preparing for Spiritual Service
"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable . . . that the
man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (2
Tim. 3:16-17).
Scripture equips you for spiritual service.
Each week I have the privilege of interacting with more than one
hundred students at The Master's Seminary. One of my greatest joys is
seeing their determination to do God's work in God's way.
That attitude is the key to success in ministry, as Joshua learned
when he assumed leadership over the Israelites after Moses' death. At
that point, God said to him, "This book of the law shall not depart
from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that
you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for
then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have
success" (Josh. 1:8).
This is how Paul described spiritual success to Timothy: "In pointing
out [the things I have said] to the brethren, you will be a good
servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the
faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following" (1
Tim. 4:6).
"Servant" speaks of one who oversees and dispenses the goods and
property of another. A good spiritual servant is one who knows and
dispenses God's Word. Whatever level of ministry you pursue, you must
conform to biblical teaching. To do that, you must know what God says
about ministering to His people.
I've met many people who love the Lord and want desperately to serve
Him effectively, but haven't taken time to learn the principles that
govern spiritual ministry. Consequently they're ill-prepared and in
some cases unwittingly participating in activities that actually
violate God's Word.
Don't let that happen to you. God's Word supplies all the strength,
instruction, and comfort you need to serve Christ properly. Study it
thoroughly and follow it closely.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Thank God for every ministry opportunity He gives you. Ask Him
to help you see any areas of your service that might need to be
corrected, and then respond accordingly.
For Further Study:
According to Philippians 1:12-18, is it possible to minister with
impure motives? Explain.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Philippians 1:12-18
12 But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened
to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,
13 so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to
all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;
14 and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by
my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some
also from good will:
16 The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely,
supposing to add affliction to my chains;
17 but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the
defense of the gospel.
18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in
truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will
rejoice.
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
http://www.gty.org/Gospel
http://www.gty.org/
http://www.nwbible.org/
To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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