Revelation 19.10
10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus.

In this passage, John is going to worship an angel sent from God. The angel lets him know that it is only God we worship. Angels work for God just like we do. Instead of little statues of angels around the house, we could have statues of our friends! So, thank God for angels, but don’t make them something they are not.

Thank God for the angel watching over you today.

Revelation 5.10
10 And you have caused them to become
a Kingdom of priests for our God.
And they will reign on the earth.

We will rule with God in the new creation. The new creation has begun with the death and resurrection of Jesus. So, even today, this is happening as we bless those around us and care for our world. We represent God when we serve.

Pray for God to make you more responsible in your service.

1 Peter 4:10
10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

When we serve, God is giving us energy and guidance. He also gives us talents and skills. A spiritual gift can be seen as an extra dose of God’s power beyond our human capabilities. You discover this when you serve effectively.

Read 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 for examples of these gifts.

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.