Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: purpose

The Purpose Of Serving God

Encouragement, Trust

For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption.
‭‭Acts‬ ‭13:36‬ ‭

David had a servants heart. He was committed to being a servant for God. David learned how to please God in every situation.

The key to David’s life was doing what God purposed him to do. When David faced his final days of his life he could look back and smile with confidence knowing he lived his life for the glory of God. That is an amazing testimony.

Throughout the Bible we read about men and women who were servants for God. They did what God purposed for them to do. Their purpose was to please God.

The greatest servant who gave Himself entirely for the purpose of God was Jesus. In His humanity, He gave His life for the sake of sinful man. God, the Father, was well pleased!

Are you a faithful servant for God? As Christians it is our ambition to serve as Christ served. We are to humble ourselves to the point of being servants for others.

Your purpose in life is to be a servant of God.  Search and see who you can serve today. Be the hands and feet of Jesus to those who need the love of God.

Pray

Lord, allow me to serve and minister to someone who is in need.  Show me what they need. Give me a servant’s heart to be a blessing to someone else.

He Will Make It Happen

Encouragement, Faith, Trust

I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.
Isaiah 46:11

As Christians we seek God’s will to be done here on earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:10).  In fact we pray for God’s will to be done in our lives.  There is no stopping the will of God nor is there a chance that we can change the will of God.  

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be God?  We are so thankful that God is who He is.  There is none like Him nor is there anyone or anything that can compare to Him.  There is one God and He is our God!

As He says in today’s verse, “I have said it and I will make it happen.”  Only God can fulfill those words and keep the promises that He speaks.  The reason He can make all things happen is because He plans and purposes all things.  

We need to grasp this concept and adapt it into our daily living.  God will use all things to work together for good to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

We pray and seek God’s will to be done but do we consider the bad things to be part of God’s will as well.  We tend to blame the bad things that happen on Satan.  Sometimes God’s will may allow us to go through trying times and through muddy waters before we receive the great reward.

God purposes and plans all things because He is in control of all things.

Pray

Lord, help me to know that You alone are in control and Your will is being purposed in my life. Give me peace and comfort of knowing that You love me and everything will be just as You have planned it.

Give Quietly

Faith

‘But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ‘
Matthew 6:3

The people that Jesus was referring to were very generous people. Just as they publicized their righteousness they also publicized their giving. They wanted to be noticed for their good deeds.

Public recognition is still popular today. We see famous people get a lot of publicity when they give large donations to charity. Some even have buildings named after them.

Jesus tells us to be careful with public recognition. It’s nice to be praised when you do something for the common good but there is a greater reward for those who do it quietly and privately. Would you rather be rewarded by men or by God?

While it is biblical to do good deeds and to be generous, the lesson that Jesus is teaching us is about denying ourselves self-congratulation. It should become so natural for us to not even know that we have done something that deserves praise. It’s about giving for God’s glory.

What is your motive for doing good deeds? Is it to get a promotion or to get a favor in return? If so, you are giving with the wrong motive. The purpose of our generosity should not be to impress others but to impress God with our faithfulness.

Pray

Lord, all that I have is from You. Help me to be a good steward of what You have trusted me with. Increase my faith in You so that I will be a more giving person.