Are you serving man or serving God?

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10)

I ran across this passage earlier this week when I was preparing for our Sunday night Bible study on Galatians. Paul must have really been wrestling with this in his own life. I appreciate his passion and transparency.  Serving God is not always as easy as it seems. It requires:

• a servant’s heart
  
• a life of prayer
• a discerning spirit
• courage
• a clear calling from God
  
• humility

How do you know whether you are serving man or serving God? Wrestle with this question long enough and you’ll know.

The People Around You Matter

“Surround yourself with good people who balance out your weaknesses with their strengths.”

- Thomas F. Frist, Jr.

The people we spend the most time with, the ones who are the closest to us, have the greatest influence on our lives. (See Proverbs 13:20 .)

Surround yourself with good people who will accept you, challenge you, help you, love you, are different from you, encourage you, inspire you, respect you, bring out the best in you, appreciate you, care for you, motivate you, forgive you, surprise you, listen to you, trust you, amaze you, stand beside you, understand you, need you, and who will be completely honest with you.

And see what happens!

Are you still growing?

“Have you stopped growing?”

A few years ago I was standing in line at the grocery store with my son, Parker. Without me realizing what he was going to say he turned to an elderly woman behind us and said, “Have you stopped growing?”

I don’t think she really heard him. I was totally embarrassed! Earlier in the week we had discussed how we stop growing, physically, as we get older.

What about you? Are you still growing? Intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, relationally? We may stop growing physically, but we never really have to stop growing!

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!” (2 Peter 3:18)

Keep growing! I hope you have a great week!

God chose what is weak…

“But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)

In our weakness, foolishness, and lowest points in life God amazingly chooses us.

God uses our circumstances…

Warren Wiersbe once wrote,

“Before God changes our circumstances, He wants to change our hearts.”

God has a purpose for every situation and circumstance that you and I face in life. Every circumstance, good or bad, presents an opportunity for us to grow.

God uses our circumstances to change our hearts.

Sometimes before God is willing to change our circumstances he gives us an opportunity to change our hearts.

Have you prayed about today?

I recently started praying about each day.

Here’s what I have found so far. . .

• Praying about each day gives me clarity about what I really need to do and accomplish.
• Praying about each day gives me a sense of accountability to God for my actions.
• Praying about each day gives me the assurance that I have enough time to do exactly what God wants me to do for that day.
• Praying about each day helps me to remember that God is with me and that the Spirit is leading me.
• Praying about each day gives me confidence in knowing that He has prepared me for whatever I have to face.