Serve Faithfully

Introduction

If you’ve had the opportunity to take a cruise or even a flight on a major airline to a destination of your choice, you’d know that they are staffed with cabin stewards or flight attendants to accommodate you and make your experience a favorable and memorable one. Everybody has dealt with waiters at restaurants. These people are tasked with hospitality and excellent service to the paying guest or travelers. Even though their position does not give them the responsibility of seeing the journey to its destination, yet it is of equal importance to the mission. Sometimes it is easy to identify when a person’s heart is not into the hospitality or service. By looking at their countenance, listening to their voice or watching their level of service, one could gauge their attitude or condition of the heart. God has called each and every one of us to stewardship, but what is your attitude of service? As with anything new we tend to work hard and run fast because of the excitement only to find that over a period time, because we become accustomed to the usual normal practices, we lose interest and focus. We start to realize that our service was rooted in something temporal. (wages; compliments; tips).

Key Points

This leads us to three serious questions on today.

(How do I)...

Keep my commitment in the face of constant change

2. Remain heart fully motivated without focusing on incentives, conflicts, or profit margin.

3. Maintain stamina

No matter how long or arduous the task or course before us, we can serve faithfully in every corner of our life.

Quick Review:

1 Cor 4:2

Although the Father has given us the ability to respond, He places great emphasis on faithfulness. Not being smart, swift, or strong.

Faithful – God enabling me to actively and consistently fulfill my commitment or responsibility.

Steward – one who God entrust with responsibility to manage what belongs to Him.

Responsibility – the ability and position to respond.

The word ability denotes power, authority, or jurisdiction. Depends on the context in which the word is being used.

For example, my household is my domain to exercise my God given husband or fatherly responsibility. That is my jurisdiction, not yours. While it is true that there are authorities that supersede me when I’m not fulfilling my responsibility, nevertheless I am the steward of my home.

Another example is police officer only having power and authority in their jurisdiction or area of operations.

Today people are clamoring for Rights but not looking to be Responsible for the actions or consequences caused.

(How do I), Keep my commitment in the face of constant change

Know and rehearse God’s purposes. Purpose carries the reason for commitment. Luke 19:10; Romans 8:28; Prov. 19: 21; Isa. 14:27

Prevents confusion. Gives clarity to the roles, functions and operations of responsibilities.

Keep your Word. Mat. 5: 37

Integrity is non-negotiable. Your Word is worth going the extra mile.

Give your activities over to the HS. Proverbs 16:3

Depend on Christ. Psalm 37:5

Let the HS lead and guide

Lead - H.S. goes before you, as you follow. Step by step

Guide - H.S shows you the way. Give instructions or directions.

(How do I), Remain heart fully motivated without focusing on incentives, compliments, or profit margins

Motivated by the Love of Christ . 1 Cor. 12:31

Excellent service is done by the Love of God. Love moves beyond the call of duty and barrage of faults to meet the need.

Godly Contentment. 1 Tim. 6:6

Not coveting, or in pursuit of gain. Heb. 13:5

Choose to glorify Christ. Col. 3:22-23

(How do I), Maintain spiritual stamina

Use Grace 2 Cor. 9:8

Christ ability in me. 2 Cor. 12: 9

Christ sustaining power

Receive JOY Gal. 5: 22; Nehemiah 8: 10

Christ attitude of strength

Jesus my focus, Others I love, and Yield to the H.S.

Conclusion