I wrote just the biggest post on Holy hunger right here and it has just been deleted. So I will write what I wrote as a sermon, as a paragraph and ask that the Lord preach the rest into your heart as He has mine, branding it into your being. Because at the end of the day, what I say has no consequence without Him.

I continue to remain in the revelation of what it means to be desperate. I think of all the things desperation causes us to do, act and live like. When we are desperate for something, it defines our being, who we are, how we act, what we do, how we speak, how we cry. When hunger moves to desperation, it moves from a place of discomfort to a place of total abandonment of everything that has once determined the level of our actions, our pride, our dignity, our fears; and it becomes all consuming and we just dont care anymore. When I was in Mozambique God spoke to me and one of the things He said was 'I am not into moving you out of your comfort zones...I am into demolishing them' Now I realise what He meant. He is not just about a little hunger, if we will pray the oh so dangerous prayer, He is about causing us to desire Him above all else, to hurt for Him, to physically feel the pain of needing to be near Him, needing Him to feed us daily. There is a reason He draws back from us sometimes and I believe this is it. If we truly desire for Him to be our everything and for all fear of man, of the world, all our dignity, control and pride to be thrown by the wayside because we are just so desperate we simply and genuinely dont care about anything anymore except our desperate hunger for Him and His presence...

....then we must pray for a desperate Holy hunger.

Its a dangerous prayer....but someone has got to pray it, and pray it soon.

oh and p.s.....He comes everytime. God cannot resist a desperately hungry heart :)

"Here I am Lord
Is it I Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night

I will go Lord
Where you lead me
You will hold your people in your hand"

I have asked the question what shall I pray in response to my desperate hunger and the Lord gave me the beatitudes as my food and my reply. As I ask the Lord, how do I live? He replies with Isaiah 58, the scripture that I am sure will be my life manifesto in some way and that my mother spoke over me years ago.

I asked the Lord, how do I deal with this feeling inside me, how do i respond? how do i live in the world and not of it, in heavenly places and yet loving and walking and healing without becoming so drenched in him I make no sense or even better, how do i remain completely drunk on Him and drenched in Him that the crazy does make sense?! The answer is about secret place, it is about having your own well, your own source and spring that is not based upon pride and power, neither upon comparison or emulating others. It is about doing what you see the Father doing;

Isaiah 58

True Fasting

2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?

6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness* will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

*floored*

"The principle [of the beatitudes] is simple. the poor have no means of their own the become rich, or the powerless to gain power. But the rich and powerful have within themselves the possibility of becoming poor. Salvation offered only to winners will, by definition, exclude many. Only salvation offered to losers - whether by circumstance or choice - can be described as comprehensive. There is nothing you don't have that can bar you from entry to this Kingdom - only the things you have might keep you out."
- Gerard kelly "Humanifesto"


NB Joyce Meyer just noticed something I had never seen...the armor in Ephesians six is all for the front of the body. God does not expect to see us running but has equipped us to STAND and to FACE that which we come up against. It is armoor for standing, not for running. Wow.

Recap...

Oh my gosh I cant even explain what God is doing right now, He has just exploded my times with Him, oh my gosh. Its like whenever we get desperately dry we get just that, I wrote a blog the other day that said this…

Desperation cultivated by the Spirit causes us to seek Gods face with renewed fervor and rips from us the fear of man, pride, baggage and ettiquite that goes with mariginal hunger as opposed to starvation. As we allow Holy Spirit to cultivate true desperation, true hunger and starvation for Him and Him alone, it will turn Gods face. I truly believe God just cannot resist a desperately hungry child of His. He responds, He meets us, He feeds us, He fills us to overflowing. I suppose I am just learning such great swathes about how desperate He wants us for Him because of how much room it gives Him.

Man o man and THEN He showed me the beatitudes and all of a sudden I am reading them so the other way around and I see the answer to every question!...

If we want to see God....we must ask for purity

If we want to inherit the kingdom...we must ask for poverty of spirit

If we wanna inherit the earth...we must pray for meekness

If we want to be filled...we must hunger and thirst after righteousness

If we wanna be called a child of God...we must be a peacemaker

If we wanna receive mercy...we must be merciful

And what does that mean? I wanna inherit the kingdom so bad but what does that mean? To be poor in spirit (in the words of one commentator), is to It is to look with a holy contempt upon ourselves, to value others and undervalue ourselves in comparison of them. It is to be willing to make ourselves cheap, and mean, and little, to do good; to become all things to all men. It is to acknowledge that God is great, and we are mean; that he is holy and we are sinful; that he is all and we are nothing, less than nothing, worse than nothing; and to humble ourselves before him, and under his mighty hand. 3. It is to come off from all confidence in our own righteousness and strength, that we may depend only upon the merit of Christ for our justification, and the spirit and grace of Christ for our sanctification. That broken and contrite spirit with which the publican cried for mercy to a poor sinner, is that poverty of spirit. We must call ourselves poor, because always in want of God’s grace, always begging at God’s door, always hanging on in his house.

"Christ says 'Give me All. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. Whatever suffering it may cost you in your earthly life; no half measures are any good. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think are wicked--the whole self. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: My own will shall become yours." - Katherine Kuhlman

Commitment not compromise.

That is what He asks of us. Man O man o man I know its basic and ‘common sense’ but it just shifted from my head to my spirit and I had to share it! Hehehe! I don’t know if that hits you in any kinda revelatory way but today it has been my bread so much that I have had no appetite in the natural, God has filled me up so much! Hahahahaha glory! Sorry I will hush now, I just love when He drenches us. Don’t get me wrong, satan hates it big time. Had my wingmirror ripped off this morning which I cant afford to fix and spiritually have been having to really really battle when here alone which is all this week, but had the most incredible bible session with this new Christian and….God just rocked up. I am so overwhelmed that He would come, I mean realy, the God of the universe would actually rock up when I cry out to Him with my tiny problems and human flesh failing. He is so incredible.

I had to repost this making a bit more sense even if its just to see if God just socks you with this as He has me, truly…I don’t even know. Truly rockin.

"We must call ourselves poor, because always in want of God’s grace, always begging at God’s door, always hanging on in his house."

Man this is good stuff. I am discovering commentaries in a whole different way today! There is such a simplicity and depth in the beatitudes which i have previously explored and yet today once again I am socked in the eyes by all I have missed. He gives us the answers. We ask ourselves, What do I want from God, from life? and He gives us how to get it and what to pray. As I said before, if we want to see God, then it is purity we must pray for. If we want to inherit the kingdom, then let us soak ourselves in Him and pray for the gift of total humility. We must be aware of what it is we pray, to pray to be poor in spirit will cost us the world, but Jesus shows us that we will be blessed with the kingdom. Man o man how awesome is that. There is such bread here, I am just going to keep reading until it sinks in. Thankyou Jesus, you are so so incredibly beautiful. Amen x

Desperation cultivated by the Spirit causes us to seek Gods face with renewed fervor and rips from us the fear of man, pride, baggage and ettiquite that goes with mariginal hunger as opposed to starvation. As we allow Holy Spirit to cultivate true desperation, true hunger and starvation for Him and Him alone, it will turn Gods face. I truly be;ieve God just cannot resist a desperately hungry child of His. He responds, He meets us, He feeds us, He fills us to overflowing.

God showed up this weekend. I went on holiday with Him and boy o boy did He show up. I am not gonna write anymore here however cos it does not need to be written, instead I will share this:

"Christ says 'Give me All. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. Whatever suffering it may cost you in your earthly life; no half measures are any good. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think are wicked--the whole self. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: My own will shall become yours." - Katherine Kuhlman

There are somethings that take a long time to smack you in the face, but how to get back in the river is a very very welcome one.

God, I love you so incredibly much. I love you to a place where words do not explain, actions do not suffice and mind canot comprehend. Spirit to spirit, heart to heart, i give you all I love you with all. Holy is the Lord God Almighty, Holy Holy Holy are you Father.

If we want to see God....we must ask for purity
If we want to inherit the kingdom...we must ask for poverty of spirit
If we wanna inherit the earth...we must pray for meekness
If we want to be filled...we must hunger and thirst after righteousness
If we wanna be called a child of God...we must be a peacemaker
If we wanna receive mercy...we must be merciful

Because....HE WILL DO IT, HE SAYS SO. (Matt 5)

(Notes from blueletterbible.com)

Contrast with worldly teaching. Self-confidence; self-reliance; you must believe in yourself.a. "I believe in myself. I am utterly and hopelessly lost apart from Christ; I could do nothing."

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE "POOR IN SPIRIT?"1. Gideon excellent example.2. Moses.3. David, "Who am I that thou shouldest visit me?"4. Paul, a man endowed with natural talents and qualities, "our sufficiency is not of ourselves."5. An absence of pride.

III. HOW DOES ONE BECOME POOR IN SPIRIT?A. By seeing God.1. No man sees himself truly until he first sees God.a. Job.1. "Which of you convinceth me of unrighteousness?"2. "My righteousness I hold fast." (27:6)3. "I have heard of thee, but now I have seen thee, wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes." (42:5,6)b. Isaiah 6:1-5.1. "Then said I, woe is me, because I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips...for I have seen the King, the Lord of hosts."c. Peter.1. Luke 5:8, "And when Peter saw that he fell at Jesus knees and said, Depart from me Lord for I am a sinful man."B. You do not begin by looking at yourself and saying, "I must change this."1. This is to trust in yourself that you can.2. "But we with open face beholding the glory of the Lord, are changed from glory to glory even by that same spirit."

I. The poor in spirit are happy, v. 3. There is a poor-spiritedness that is so far from making men blessed that it is a sin and a snare—cowardice and base fear, and a willing subjection to the lusts of men. But this poverty of spirit is a gracious disposition of soul, by which we are emptied of self, in order to our being filled with Jesus Christ. To be poor in spirit is, 1. To be contentedly poor, willing to be emptied of worldly wealth, if God orders that to be our lot; to bring our mind to our condition, when it is a low condition. Many are poor in the world, but high in spirit, poor and proud, murmuring and complaining, and blaming their lot, but we must accommodate ourselves to our poverty, must know how to be abased, Phil. 4:12. Acknowledging the wisdom of God in appointing us to poverty, we must be easy in it, patiently bear the inconveniences of it, be thankful for what we have, and make the best of that which is. It is to sit loose to all worldly wealth, and not set our hearts upon it, but cheerfully to bear losses and disappointments which may befal us in the most prosperous state. It is not, in pride or pretence, to make ourselves poor, by throwing away what God has given us, especially as those in the church of Rome, who vow poverty, and yet engross the wealth of the nations; but if we be rich in the world we must be poor in spirit, that is, we must condescend to the poor and sympathize with them, as being touched with the feeling of their infirmities; we must expect and prepare for poverty; must not inordinately fear or shun it, but must bid it welcome, especially when it comes upon us for keeping a good conscience, Heb. 10:34. Job was poor in spirit, when he blessed God in taking away, as well as giving. 2. It is to be humble and lowly in our own eyes. To be poor in spirit, is to think meanly of ourselves, of what we are, and have, and do; the poor are often taken in the Old Testament for the humble and self-denying, as opposed to those that are at ease, and the proud; it is to be as little children in our opinion of ourselves, weak, foolish, and insignificant, ch. 18:4; 19:14. Laodicea was poor in spirituals, wretchedly and miserably poor, and yet rich in spirit, so well increased with goods, as to have need of nothing, Rev. 3:17. On the other hand, Paul was rich in spirituals, excelling most in gifts and graces, and yet poor in spirit, the least of the apostles, less than the least of all saints, and nothing in his own account. It is to look with a holy contempt upon ourselves, to value others and undervalue ourselves in comparison of them. It is to be willing to make ourselves cheap, and mean, and little, to do good; to become all things to all men. It is to acknowledge that God is great, and we are mean; that he is holy and we are sinful; that he is all and we are nothing, less than nothing, worse than nothing; and to humble ourselves before him, and under his mighty hand. 3. It is to come off from all confidence in our own righteousness and strength, that we may depend only upon the merit of Christ for our justification, and the spirit and grace of Christ for our sanctification. That broken and contrite spirit with which the publican cried for mercy to a poor sinner, is that poverty of spirit. We must call ourselves poor, because always in want of God’s grace, always begging at God’s door, always hanging on in his house.
Now, (1.) This poverty in spirit is put first among the Christian graces. The philosophers did not reckon humility among their moral virtues, but Christ puts it first. Self-denial is the first lesson to be learned in his school, and poverty of spirit entitled to the first beatitude. The foundation of all other graces is laid in humility. Those who would build high must begin low; and it is an excellent preparative for the entrance of gospel-grace into the soul; it fits the soil to receive the seed. Those who are weary and heavy laden, are the poor in spirit, and they shall find rest with Christ.
(2.) They are blessed. Now they are so, in this world. God looks graciously upon them. They are his little ones, and have their angels. To them he gives more grace; they live the most comfortable lives, and are easy to themselves and all about them, and nothing comes amiss to them; while high spirits are always uneasy.
(3.) Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of grace is composed of such; they only are fit to be members of Christ’s church, which is called the congregation of the poor (Ps. 74:19); the kingdom of glory is prepared for them. Those who thus humble themselves, and comply with God when he humbles them, shall be thus exalted. The great, high spirits go away with the glory of the kingdoms of the earth; but the humble, mild, and yielding souls obtain the glory of the kingdom of heaven. We are ready to think concerning those who are rich, and do good with their riches, that, no doubt, theirs is the kingdom of heaven; for they can thus lay up in store a good security for the time to come; but what shall the poor do, who have not wherewithal to do good? Why, the same happiness is promised to those who are contentedly poor, as to those who are usefully rich. If I am not able to spend cheerfully for his sake, if I can but want cheerfully for his sake, even that shall be recompensed. And do not we serve a good master then?

*shakes head* this is big, really big.

Isaiah 40 revisited (from the blog of a friend)

come close,
come close to my friends
says your God

talk gently to this city,
and tell her the hard days are over,
the selfishness and violence has been paid for,
double the price has been paid,

it was on tv last night
in the countryside, in the sticks
get a road ready for the Lord,
make it wide and smooth,
and motorway for our God

the valleys will be filled in
and the mountain flattened off
the marsh land drained
and the bracken cleared

then the brilliance and mystery of the Lord
will be clear for all to see
God has spoken

someone said shout out, protest,
i said "whats the point"
"what difference can i make?"
"whats just one lifetime"

things move on everytime i look around
there are new buildings and old ones knocked down
new shopping centres and different places
nothing stays the same

only God is constant his words last through everthing

artists, musicans, dancers, promoters and organisers
you who bring a good time to this city
put on the greatest show on earth,
perform you hearts out, showing everyone
"God lives and loves you"

He looks out for each one of us,
He's got out backs and we can
always rely on him

He picks us up and carries us
in his arms, gentle taking care
of teenagers and kids

Who is like Him?
can anyone hold the ocean in their hands?
who can measure the universe in the span of their hand?
who could hold all the bricks of a city?
who has put skyscrapers on their bathroom scales?

who understands everything?
or know how to comfort us in every situation?

who taught God what he knows?
who showed Him wrong from right?
who explained destiny or purpose to Him?

everything is nothing beside God,
everything we know, see, make and strive for,
humanity is nothing
compared to the scale of God

as for celebrities, the rich and famous,
manisions and limos, diamonds,
private jets, tv series, private islands,
of just the simple things we save up for
and look up to holidays, cars, houses

dont you realise,
havent you know since you were a kid?

He sits above it all, people a like little ants
scurring around, he spoke this planet into existence
he birthed the universe and spins the earth round the sun

he turns movies stars milkmen,
brings rules of this world into line

no sooner than they're elected,
no sooner than they're at number one
they are turned out by their people,
and cameras have swung somewhere else

who is there like God?
who would you put up to him?
who equals him?

look up at the night sky sometime
who put those massive burning gas balls
millions of light years away to twinkle nicely as stars?
they are not just random either he knows each one by name
because He is God they are always shining down

who do you say "no one cares about me"
"nobody knows what im going through"
do you think this might God could get tired?
do you think he would fail to love you?

he built you from cells up, bones, blood, nerves,
eyes, ears, he knows how many hairs are on your head
and you think he is going to get tired?

no chance, just look to him,
he gives you a pick up when your down,
gives you the strength you need,
the poor and weak he loves to help

even the young people get tired,
they make mistakes and hit rock bottom

but if you look to God, hope in Him,
then its on, chill with Him and you
will be soaring like an eagle,
unstopable no matter what life throws at you

I have developed a deep respect for spiders over the last few weeks and begun to notice there are some profound and significant things about them from which I can learn and take note.

I sat down here to reflect over this past week, it has been so crazy and yet so non-descript I suppose. Work at the hospital has met me with so many challenges and challenged my very security as well as addressing the question of how to live as broken as the Lord is refining me, in a place where patients you love are ill, in crisis and dying or dead. Its learning how to love colleagues who offend and upset, and how to not live under fleshly condemnation that would have me feel incapable altogether to do the job God told me to do. What a ministry school, I mean really, I know that is why God has me here, to learn how to love, how to be and how to live as His handmaiden in the darkness.

I sat down to reflect upon the lessons He has taught me this week and the things He has done that has not only rocked my world beyond all belief, but has broken me and silenced me as I wait to figure out what is going on and take my hands off it entirely.

However, as I sat here I watched a spider, suspended in mid air and then gently lowering itself down to the platform below before rising once more and repeating the cycle. I could not figure out what it was doing until I realized that it was adding guy ropes to its web. Suddenly something made sense and im not even sure quite what. But as I watched the web be buffeted around in the wind, the faithful, measured, patient mending of it by the spider and the guy ropes that were so very tiny that held it into place, I found a kinship with the little creation.

There are times when I do not understand what is going on. Nothing dramatic has occurred, no great tragedy or anything, merely small whisperings and unexpected arrivals of God in the everyday. Once He begins to hijack your time and everything you have and are, you no longer have control and sometimes, I feel like all I can do as the wind is picking up, is to drop down once more, return to the beginning, return to my first love…and attach another guy rope.

They may be thin and feeble and insufficient, but as I return once more to the author, to my foundation, I can rest assured that in everything I walk, everything He is asking me to do or continue, I know that it is already inherently built within me. Like the miraculous spider who knows from the moment of birth, how to create a web, how to weave, drop, lift, measure and most importantly, stand and wait, so I believe that God has given us instincts and an inherent ability to find Him, to walk His way and to know how to wait on Him. Therefore I return to my first love, I drop another guy rope, and then I wait, knowing that if there is any tear in the web that is my walk, He will show me and together we will know how to fix it, and that the enlargement of my territory, the moment when I should move on, the place where I should go and the ability to begin again, will all come as naturally to me…

…as it does to the humble spider.

This is my cry
My one desire
Is to be where you are Lord,
Now and forever
Its more than a song
Its my one desire
To be with you
Is to be with you
Jesus

And the one thing
The one thing that I ask
Is to be with you

- Hillsongs

The rain quietly runs out of pastel gray skies outside as I sit in my room contemplating the past few weeks. Throughout them I have known the refining fire of the Lord, the purifying process of a heart that is being stripped of every layer of itself. I have watched the power of God when my hands are taken off and He hijacks every single day. And I have felt all the emotions that rise up quietly in ones throat as all control is surrendered to something that remains unseen and unknown. I look at the individuals and I know that God is teaching me how to love, I watch His grace in action as I realize my inability and my painfully selfish flesh continuing to rise up and react to situations. I praise Him that no longer do I react as I would, but that He has literally transformed everything about me.

And still I sit.

No longer able to hear the rain now, only the music quietly playing in the background, reminding of my Jesus’ beauty. Reminding me of His sovereignty, reminding me of my smallness in it all, my inability as well as the fact I am His beloved and He is mine. I look at the eight books I am halfway through, think over the vast plethora of programs, talks, conferences, memories, prayers and cries of my heart. And for a millisecond I find myself wondering. Have I inadvertently given myself spiritual indigestion?! Could it be that all God wants is me? Could it be that sitting here, not even praying, accomplishing nothing, speaking no words, interacting with nobody, rain quietly continuing both outside and down the walls of my heart, that He still loves me?

Once again I have tried to become more for Him. Like a wife who feels too fat, like a girlfriend who wants to prepare the greatest feast for her love but cannot cook, like the mother who does not understand the homework of her child, do I feel in the eyes of my love. I do not feel worthy of His love and although I know it is true, although I know it is real, although I know that it will never leave and He loves me as I am, I cannot help but think, want, to better myself so that I will be of more use, more understanding, more like Him, more…something. And yet, just like the wife whose diet fails in the midst of stress, I need to know I am loved just the way I am. That THIS is the woman He called His beloved, that THIS is the woman over who all the prophecies were spoken, that THIS is the one He calls child, sister, bride, that right here right now, THIS woman is what He has called me to be. Why? Because I cannot be any more. If He wants to speak through me, it cannot be through the pages of books I have digested until I cannot take anymore talk of my beloved, it cannot be through the wise words of speaker after speaker who my heart longs to emulate but are not me.

The work God has for me, only I can do.

That is what I desperately need to get a revelation of right now. I need to know it God. I need to know that right now, right here, I am enough, that this is enough, that you do not refine to change me into someone else, but you merely strip back that which the work has blotted me with. That you are merely stripping away to me. Just me. God. Please reveal to me that only I can do what is set before me. That this story, this plotline, this ending, is only mine and yours. I am done living other peoples stories, I am done trying to second guess. If anything is going to happen through me, it is because you will hijack me and place me there with your words already on my lips. Father, please.

Your love
Your love
Stands forever

Oh Jesus

Your love
Your love
Your love
It stands firm forever

And in your faithfulness
You provide redemption

Holy and awesome

Are you.

Today

I knelt with a homeless guy (James) in the rain as he told me of considering to kill himself and sell his body such was his desperation for help and money and a way out.

I spoke with a Jehovahs witness about their belief in conditional forgivenes, a gospel void of grace.

I had a relative scream in my ear as their husband momentarily lost conciousness and stopped breathing.

And in all of it...

...everything within me screamed "God loves you! Do you not know the love I know?? Please know the love I know! I want to share it with you! God loves you with such an unconditional love! James...He LOVES yoU! you are accepted and loved and planned and He KNOWS...lady, it is unconditional, it is not a work of humaness, it is of grace, He loves you! Sweetheart...there is no need for fear, there is nothing that can seperate us from THAT LOVE!!!! He loves you!"

He loves them. He loves me.

I cannot explain. But Love is reaching a whole new meaning.

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…”(Matt 6:33). As God has reminded me of this time and time again, he has shown me how nothing can be accomplished without first seeking him (look at Peter walking on water for example). It is equally the same with service. The only way we can effectively serve others is to first “be” in the presence of our Lord.

Service is an expression of our overwhelming love for him.

Oswald Chambers said;
“[It] is the overflow that pours out from a life filled with love and devotion. Service is what I bring to the relationship and is the reflection of my identification with the nature of God. It is then that service becomes a natural part of my life….”

If our eyes are FIRST fixed on the goal, on our dear Lord. As we remember WHO he is and WHAT he has done for us, as we spend time with Him in His presence and bathing in His love, our service will be a natural response and a delight. As we will desire others to know the Lord we do, we will long to share what has first been shared with us. We will be filled with the LORDS will, thoughts and compassion and as we admit that we are unable to complete the task he will, in our weakness, be strong and be our ability.

The answer? We cannot be servants without first totally abandoning ourselves to the one who came to serve us. We cannot pour out until we allow ourselves to be poured into and remain in total, daily, hourly, minutely communion with our beloved. Until we are filled with the compassion of the Lord and are reminded of who we first fell in love with, we can never expect to be able to effectively impart his love and will end up striving and failing due to the reaction of those we try and serve in our own strength.

Oswald chambers said

”If our devotion is the cause of humanity, we will be quickly defeated and broken hearted, since we are often confronted by great ingratitude from others. But if we are motivated by our love for God, no amount of ingratitude will hinder us from serving one another.”

If we are to emulate our Lord, we must be seeking to be dousing ourselves in humble service of others through the Lords strength, as HE prompts us, so as to win people to the kingdom and reaffirm their value and worth.

Do we seek to serve others so that those Christians around us see us as more “spiritual” and for the “feel good factor”? Or do we serve out of an unquenchable love for our Lord with whom we spend every waking minute, a desire to be more Christ-like and a deep-seated love for those around us? It’s an impossible task but that is what is so great. In our complete inability and weakness, God has the room he needs to be strong and use us. All we need do is;

“Seek first the kingdom of God…”