Improve Your Serve (5)

“Overcoming Obstacles”

Review:

Slide #1:

God looks more for availability than ability.

The best way to grow spiritually is to serve.

When someone is not serving, the Body of Christ suffers.

We will never experience the fullness of life apart from serving.

Serving too much: each person should have 1 primary place to serve.

As each person responds in obedience to God, every job is filled and the Kingdom of God progresses forward.

Slide #2:

The #1 obstacle for serving . . .

Emotional bandwidth

What do I mean by emotional bandwidth?

The amount of gas left in your emotional tank

Capacity and resilience

Mental space

“Blank space around the edges” (margin)

When our life is out of margin . . .

Slide #3:

Text: Luke 10: 38-42

English Standard Version (Chapter 10)

Martha and Mary

38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Slide #4:

Distracted . . .

Making a sandwich Jesus never ordered

Jesus could have made lunch.

Martha became distracted from her own self-imposed requirements.

Slide #5:

“Lord, don’t you care?” . . .

Emotions become strained with the lack of margin.

Martha’s question attempts to place Jesus in the middle

We become frustrated and discouraged in serving when our focus shifts

Slide #6:

“Tell her to help” . . .

Making demands on God places me in His place.

The more we lack margin, the more we tend to demand.

The biggest challenge we will continually face today in serving Jesus isn’t a lack of faith, it is a lack of margin.

Slide #7:

“One thing” . . .

We must build an intentional life as opposed to a reactionary life.

Slide #8:

Improving margin to serve . . .

Sitting at the Lord’s feet

Many see sitting at Christ’s feet as inactive.

It is in fact an activity of positioning.

When positioned properly, we can accomplish more in less time.

We accomplish more when we learn how to work “from” Jesus instead of “for” Him.

Listening

Many believe that in order to create margin, they must reduce their amount of activities.

This is true to a point:

Reduction alone is not sufficient

Reduction can, and often does, result in boredom

Learning to listen affords new purpose and direction.

Learning to listen positions us at the feet of Jesus.

Sitting at Christ’s feet prepares me for a life with margin for the sake of God’s Kingdom work.

Slide #9:

Key Takeaways . . .

The lack of margin (emotional bandwidth) is the #1 challenge to serving.

At times, we can become distracted through self-imposed requirements.

The lack of margin creates a shift in focus.

Lack of margin mis-positions us and makes serving harder than needed.

We begin freeing up emotional bandwidth by learning to sit and listen.

Slide #10:

Next week: “Sustaining a Lifestyle of Serving”