“It is the Spirit of
God doing something, and using the believer to accomplish it; rather than the
believer doing something and calling on God for help in the task. It is the ‘work
of the Lord’ in which we are to ‘abound.’ According to the Word of God, the
Spirit produces Christian service as He produces the graces of Christ in and
through the believer. Every faculty of the human instrument will be employed in
the work. That human instrument will know what it is to be weary and worn in
service. Human energy, however, could never produce the divine results which
are anticipated, and the Scriptures jealously contend that true Christian
service is a direct ‘manifestation of the Spirit.’” He That is Spiritual, L. S.
Chafer.
As we arrive upon the celebration of Easter, we celebrate
the victory over death that Christ has wrought in us and the resurrection that
gives the eternal life of our hope. And as we celebrate this Easter, we should
take the time to recognize the great gift of God (His Son Jesus) which purchased
a great cost of salvation and the continuing gift left here for us on earth
today.
When we come to faith in Christ, we are drawn to salvation through
the Word of God. As Paul so eloquently said; “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans
10:17). This Word of God draws us to salvation, but it also does so much more.
The Word of God also produces our Christian service for His kingdom. Did you
know that our marching orders are listed with the Bible? Guess where it came
from? The Will of God and by the Word of God is it. Each produces supernatural
power because it emanates from the presence of God. We must stop and think
about this for a minute; if the saving grace of God is enough to secure us
heavenly power to overcome death through our salvation in Christ-Jesus, then
why doesn’t the grace and power to serve Him produce effective Christian
service for many? You see, I think that many Christians live in the realm of
the saving power through salvation, but never experience the Christian service
that is available to them to tap into effective Christian service. They are
happy just knowing they have “fire insurance.” The problem with this style of
thinking is the average Christian might as well be raptured as soon as they
accept Christ, because they aren’t any good from that point on to the kingdom
of God. This is not the plan set out by our Heavenly Father for His children
while here on earth. Read the Book. In fact, I’ll take one step further and be
so bold as to say that many who act
in this behavior prove by their very deeds that that experience of genuine
conversion never even occurred.
And the counterfeits are all over the church today. They claim
to serve with zeal and over time their energy fails, passion fades, and there
attitude about ministry changes to the point where they flat quit or completely
disappear. They say, “Well I’m just tired.” I would have to ask this question
then; “Where is the source of your energy?” Because the God I know and serve doesn’t
get tired and say “I’m done.” He is the ever-present source of help and energy.
Today take a moment and look at your life and see if it is a
life which is fueled by the presence of God or by something otherwise. You
might be surprised at what you see if you’re honest with yourself and with God.
Then we can to begin a life worth living which produces power and genuine
Christian service.
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