Serving Others

In prayer the other day, I suddenly felt bogged down by all the requests that I was making to God for him to help me grow closer to him. Wasn't this a prayer of selfishness? Subconsciously I was hoping that if I was closer to God then my life would be better. But in reality, this is probably not the case. I was at the bookstore tonight and came across a best seller by Joel Osteen. I haven't read any of his works or listened to him preach on TV. But from the little that I've heard of him, he preaches the gospel in a way that encourages people to aim more more success in life by believing in the powers that God can grant each person. His message to the public disturbs me a little. I believe that God wants us to have a better life - he loves us and wants to give us the best there is. Yet, we are not to take his love and holding it under our wings for our own benefits or to get whatever we want out of life, which is often driven by secular values. As Christians, the circumstances of our lives do not automatically improve. God loves all his children equally - Christians and non-Christians alike. He is far too gracious to restrict the richness of his blessings to those who know him. But, by knowing him and his love, we ourselves as Christ's disciples are infused by his mercy. Therefore, we have sufficient love in our hearts to give ourselves to others as Christ has given himself for us.

Glen preached today on the importance for Christians to see themselves as Christ's servants. We are on this earth to serve one another, to help those who are in desperate need. How different this concept is from the self-absorbed culture that we are exposed to in this day and age? Coming back to my prayers. I had the sudden realization that I could spend my time praying for others. That even if we pray for ourselves it is not for personal gain but that we would be more loving, more patient, and more generous to those around us. This thought has been in my mind lately, and we were reminded of it today, that the Christian Faith is a selfless one. It is a self-giving faith. Because Christ gave himself for us, so are we to give ourselves in service to others. I pray for God to grant me the heart to be one such servant.