1 Peter 1:16
16 For you are free, yet you are God’s servants, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.

Through Jesus, we live in the new creation. His grace and forgiveness make it possible for us to live free. We are free from trying to follow some rules in order to please God. However, in the new creation, the Holy Spirit working through us makes it possible for us to live in obedience to Jesus. We don’t just follow our own desires and then bank on forgiveness. That is not how it works.

Pray for more openness to the Spirit.

2 Thessalonians 2:17
Comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

When you are challenged with sadness or hardship, you serve the mission and God takes you outside of your own grief. Have you ever noticed when you are down, depressed, sad, anxious- if you begin focusing outside of yourself, the veil of grief or fear is often lifted? This is not closure; this is expansion of your world. It sure beats all the alternatives.

Where have you grieved lately? Go to God’s Word for comfort and take your grief to serving.

Colossians 3:24
24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

The mission is expanding God’s Kingdom in the next generations and my Master is Jesus. I can’t go wrong. I am serving my Master serving the mission. Then to top it off, he already gives me my reward before I do anything. Being connected to him and his Kingdom.

My serving out of thanks is a byproduct of what he is already doing through me, and it shows!

How do you see Jesus working in your life? Pray about this today.

Philippians 2:3
I, Paul, became a servant of this Gospel.

“What church do you serve?”
As a pastor, here is my answer:
“None. I don’t serve a church. I serve a mission. Expanding God’s Kingdom in the next generations.”

Now, I have the privilege and joy of serving the mission by leading in a local church community. But, the distinction between serving the mission and serving the church is everything.

This is the same for all Christians.
We serve a mission.

How are you serving the Gospel? Pray about this today.

Ephesians 6:7
Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

This text concerns slaves who have become Christian. They have secular masters because Christians didn’t have slaves (unless they were secular people who had become Christian, in which case they are advised to free their slaves, such as in Philemon). The best analogy today is simply an employee.

When you work for someone, you want to set an example of effectiveness because all areas of life are under God’s domain. When we work, is not simply for a paycheck, it is to be a blessing in society.

Pray for your “boss” at work, if you have one. If not, pray for one you know.

Ephesians 3:7
By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.

Serving is a privilege for the server. The more you serve, the more time you get to spend with the Holy Spirit, because that is where He is working. So this is special time you don’t want to miss.

Pray to open yourself to the joy of serving.

2 Corinthians 6:4
In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind.

When you serve God, you don’t have to look for challenges, they will find you. The more you are serving, the more risk you are taking and the more you need to rely on God’s power rather than your own resources.

Pray for more of the Holy Spirit in your service.

1 Corinthians 16:16
I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, to submit to them and others like them who serve with such devotion.

Paul is speaking of new Christians who have become leaders. Obviously, new Christians become leaders. Younger Christians become leaders. People follow those who have influence in expanding God’s Kingdom, not position or credential. As Wesley said, “When Christians are on fire, they attract people who want to watch them burn.”

Who do you know who is on fire for Jesus and is being an influence in Kingdom expansion? Hang around with them for awhile.

Romans 15:6
For by God’s grace, 16 I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit.

We are like Paul today. By the power of God we reach out to secular people so they might know the good news of Jesus and come to him, freed from sin and whatever separates them from his power.

We are not content to keep this power to ourselves. What we do has eternal significance for others.

Pray for God to connect you to someone who is seeking him.

Rom 13:6
This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.

This passage should be for a month from now when taxes are due again. Paying taxes is always connected with a bit of cynicism when you connect taxes with waste or paying for some program or project you don’t agree with.

Paul’s words help here. If we think there is some waste and corruption in American government, what about the Roman Empire??!! Somehow in spite of all that is less than pure in government, God’s hand is involved.

Pray for IRS employees today.