“Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I
delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to
the nations.” — Matthew 12:18 NIV
THINK ABOUT IT
What’s your opinion about servants?
_____I wouldn’t want to be one
_____no ambition
_____low pay, no respect
_____easy job, no great skill needed
_____low class
_____great for people lacking in brains or education
_____other __________________________________________________________________
Our prejudices blind us to the many educated, intelligent and
conscientious people who make a good living, and take pride in, being
servants. But in Jesus’ day, being a servant was close kin to being a
slave, and we’d like to think that slavery was abolished long ago.
The fuel the world runs on is not found in anyone’s oil well. The world
runs on the premise that I am my own “man”, that no one owns me, and
that no one can tell me what to do. We work very hard at trying to be
islands where there is no ocean. We like to think that it is actually
possible to be independent when every gimmick, gadget and advertisement
screams the opposite. If we really were “free” we wouldn’t need the
internet, deodorant or traffic lights — just to name a few. Paul told us
two thousand years ago that we were slaves to whoever we obey (Romans 6:16).
Who do you obey?
We all obey something or someone. So it is not a question of whether or not; the issue is who, or what, we will serve.
For the Lord Jesus to be called, or to call Himself, a servant was a
simple acknowledgment of a fact. And the Bible is full of instructions
on servanthood.
Check out the following scriptures on being a servant. Beside the phrase write the number of the verse which corresponds to it.
1. Deuteronomy 10:12
2. Joshua 24:15
3. Matthew 4:10
4. Matthew 20:26
5. Matthew 20:28
6. Matthew 25:21
7. Luke 16:13
8. Luke 17:10
9. Romans 12:11
10. Ephesians 4:12
11. Ephesians 6:7
12. Philippians 2:7
13. Colossians 3:22-24
_____we serve whatever we are most devoted to
_____good service brings divine commendation
_____serve the Lord by serving men
_____no matter how much we do, it isn’t enough
_____who we serve is a choice we make
_____saved to serve
_____serving is a spiritual exercise
_____ the ultimate service is to God
_____Christ chose to be a servant
_____greatness comes with servanthood
_____serve because of your relationship with Christ
_____the only service is to God
_____Jesus was the ultimate example of servanthood
Read John 13:1-17.
(Remember that Judas was still present with the other disciples and
that Jesus washed his feet too, knowing that Judas was about to betray
Him). Translate this incident in the life of Christ into your life. What
is the most personally humbling service that you can render to someone
who isn’t your friend?
How would you go about carrying out this act of service?
PRAY ABOUT IT
Ask the Lord for a servant’s heart, for humility and for a gracious
spirit that will allow you to follow the example of Christ, and to serve
wholeheartedly in His name. Invite Him to show you areas in which you
have refused to ‘dirty your hands’. Ask forgiveness for denying yourself
the opportunity to follow Him in these areas. Commit yourself to being a
better servant of His, so that you can better serve others.
ACT ON IT
Christ’s servant spirit took Him to the cross. He gave all so that He
could offer salvation to all. Paul put aside his rights so that he could
minister to all in order that some might be saved (I Corinthians 9:19-23).
We are called to follow Christ’s example. To do otherwise is to name
Him a fool for allowing Himself to be taken advantage of. To do
otherwise is to consider ourselves better than He was. To the one who is
secure in his identity as a child of the King, focused on his divinely
appointed purpose in life, and sure of his special place in the kingdom,
washing feet becomes a great privilege, not because of the nature of
the act, but because we are serving Him, by serving others.
How’s your foot washing going? What service can you render in the name
of Jesus, and for His glory? Where is this act of service noted on your
calendar or in your daybook?
Showing posts with label sacrifice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sacrifice. Show all posts
Friday, April 18, 2014
Friday, November 9, 2012
9:04:35
 |
| Google Images |
The absence of the flag was a safety precaution. The German u-boats prowling the Atlantic would have no way of identifying her as a carrier of such deadly, or such an important cargo. Perhaps in their search for more impressive prey, they would leave this little rust-bucket alone as she sailed with her convoy to battle-weary Europe.
Except for one stretch of water, called “The Narrows” which connected the outer harbour and the Atlantic with the Bedford Basin, Halifax Harbour was ideal as a launch point for the dozens of ships that came and went from the war zone. Troop ships, cargo vessels and munitions carriers like the Monte Blanc were a common sight.
Vincent Coleman, like thousands of other Haligonians, went off to work that morning in December with absolutely no inkling of what was soon to happen. He settled down to his work as dispatcher at the Richmond Railway Yards not far from the harbour. Soldiers, sailors and the materiel of war, as well as trains carrying ordinary passengers, poured into Halifax from all over Canada and the United States. The responsibility rested heavily on his shoulders.
“Hey,Vince, how’s the wife and kids?”
Intercolonial Railway’s chief office clerk, William Lovet stepped into the office just minutes behind Coleman.
“Little one’s got the sniffles; you know what it’s like in winter. As for the rest, everybody’s fine. You?”
“Lookin’ forward to Christmas.” Bill hung up his coat and set to work.
It was 7:30 a.m. At the entrance to the narrows, the anti-submarine nets had been lowered and the Mont Blanc’s captain, Aimé Le Médec, began his slow passage into Bedford Basin.
But in the habour, a Norwegian freighter, the Imo, was as anxious to get out of Halifax as Mont Blanc was to get in. She was riding high, in passage to New York to pick up relief supplies. She stayed to port extending the common, though illegal, courtesy to incoming vessels of using the starboard channel that was closer to the docks.
The two vessels exchanged signals and whistles to indicate their intentions, but confusion won the day and just before 9:00 a.m., Imo sliced into the Monte Blanc. The Imo reversed engines, and as she pulled away, fire broke out on the Mont Blanc.
Captain Le Médec, knowing what his ship carried, immediately ordered his crew to abandon ship. They screamed out warnings to anyone who might hear. Few understood since they were shouting in French.
The Mont Blanc drifted toward the harbour, coming to rest against one of the docks. She was burning profusely now and the spectacle attracted a huge crowd of excited school children, workers, and passers-by, along with local firefighters.
A stone white face, mouth gaping and eyes wide, appeared in the doorway of Vince Coleman’s office at the Richmond Yards.
“Run, run for your lives! She’s gonna blow!” The sailor’s garbled tale was clear enough to convince William and Vince that they needed to get as far away as possible, as quickly as possible. They were out the door when Coleman slid to a stop and turned back.
“Vince, what are you doing? We have to go. Now.”
“I can’t. There are passenger trains due any moment. I have to stop them.”
“Don’t be crazy, man. You have a wife and kids. If you stay …”
“You go. I’ll be right behind you.”
At 9:04:35 a.m., Mont Blanc disintegrated in a flash of light, sending up a pillar of smoke the likes of which would not be seen until the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima almost thirty years later. The better part of northern Halifax was leveled; almost two thousand people lost their lives.
Among the lost was Vincent Coleman.
Out of the reach of the shrapnel, glass and flying debris, trains idled. Vince had completed his mission by tapping out the crucial message: “Munitions ship on fire. Approaching Pier 6. Goodbye boys.” He had been just in time to save hundreds of lives, at the cost of his own.
When one man dies to save the living, we call him a hero. And rightly so. When one man dies to save the dead, we call Him a Saviour. —LS
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