Faithfulness, Not Prominence

‘Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks [for the privilege].’ Colossians 3:17 NKJV

When it comes to serving God, and others, set your heart on being faithful instead of trying to be prominent. The Bible says, ‘Promotion and power come… only from God’ (Psalm 75:6 TLB), so don’t try to promote yourself. Few things in life are worse than being in a slot to which you were never called and are ill-equipped to fill. Josh McDowell, who has spoken to millions of university students worldwide and authored scores of books, began his lifetime of service to Christ in a humble fashion. His first assignment at the headquarters of Campus Crusade for Christ was cleaning the main entryway floor. He wasn’t meeting with ministry leaders; he was busy scrubbing up the dirt from their shoes. Josh’s introduction to ministry was equivalent to the guy in the Old Testament who carried the tent pegs when they moved the tabernacle from place to place. Not exactly a high-profile position! Without a proper perspective on motivation for ministry, it’s easy to get our feathers ruffled when we’re given an assignment we feel is beneath us. So how do we stay motivated about serving God? By remembering the promise that one day we’ll reap what we sow (see Galatians 6:7). God has promised that at the judgment seat of Christ He’ll reward our faithful service. So if He has called you to serve Him by serving others, keep your heart focused on faithfulness—not pride of place. Live by this Scripture: ‘Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks [for the privilege].’ (Colossians 3:17 NLT)

衷心于神而非突显自己

无论做什么，或说话或行事，都要奉主耶稣的名，藉着他感谢父　神。(歌罗西书 3:17 和合本)

当你在服侍神和他人时，你应该关注自己是否对神衷心，而不是试图突显自己。圣经说，“高举和能力只来自于神”（诗篇75:6直译），所以不要试图高举自己。在我们的生命中，很少有什么事情比坐在一个没有被呼召、装备不足的位置上更糟糕了。乔希·麦克道尔曾给全世界数百万的大学生开讲座，并写了几十本书，但却以谦卑的态度开始他为基督服务的一生。当他去校园传道会总部时，他被安排的第一个任务是清扫主干道：他不是和各种领导见面，而是忙着擦掉来自他们鞋子上的灰尘。乔希的这个新职大致相当于旧约中的这类人：当别人把帐幕从一个地方移到另一个地方时，他要负责拿其中的木钉。完全不是一个可以突显自己的位置！如果对事奉的动机没有一个正确的认识，当接受一项任务时，我们很容易会感到没有被重视。那么我们如何保持服侍神的动力呢？记住我们终有一天会收获我们所播种的（见加拉太书6：7）。神已经应许说，在基督的审判台前，他将报答我们衷心的服侍。如果祂呼召你通过服侍他人来服侍神，那你应当专心顺服，而不要骄傲。谨守这句经文：无论做什么，或说话或行事，都要奉主耶稣的名，藉着他感谢父　神。(歌罗西书 3:17 和合本)