Serve with zeal

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” –John21:16

Jesus did not ask anyone to follow your thoughts. He asked you to look after his sheep so that they would be nourished by their knowledge of him. We see our ministry as serving the Lord, but Jesus Christ sees our relationship with Him as a service, not the work we do for him. Discipleship is based on the loyalty to Jesus Christ, not on the obedience to a set of rules. “If anyone comes to me and does not love me more than all everything, he cannot be my disciple.” There was no argument, no coercion, but simply, “If you will be my disciple, you must be wholly mine.” A man touched by the holy spirit said, “now I know who Jesus is.” This is the source of devotional refuge.

Today, we have replaced the personal faith with the creed, so that there are many people dedicated to the ministry, but few people dedicated to the service of Jesus Christ. People do not return to Jesus, but only to the ministry he created. They knew Jesus only as a comrade. Jesus became the object of today’s intellectual antipathy, and the Lord first obeyed the will of His Father, not the needs of men. His salvation is the inevitable result of obedience to God the father. If I devote myself only to the ministry of men, I shall soon be worn out to the point of cold love; but if I love Jesus Christ, I will serve them even though they have made me a table for the earth. The secret of discipleship is to turn to Christ with all your heart. The characteristic of life remains hidden, like a grain of wheat falling into the ground and dying, which soon sprouts and grows, changing the whole landscape of the field. (John12:24)

Dear God, may you move my spirit so that it may overflow with your fullness. May you think through my thoughts until my “heart and mind in Christ Jesus” are formed.

Serve with zeal