All-Of-Life Service
Whenever driving through farmland and bush, my mind tends to wander off into trying to imagine what it would be like to live away from the city rush and noise, and wondering what I might do to make a living. It’s always easy enough to imagine the ideal get-away place – a modest two bedroom cottage, a log fire in the living area, lots of book shelves and books, a small workshop and surrounded by bush.
What I would do to earn the necessary means to live in such a setting is where it gets interesting. I sometimes think I would be able to return to carpentry, but I usually end up thinking about other ways. In a recent trip I thought that I should like to do something to create things which would be of benefit to others. This, however, is where my mind took a significant detour.
What could be of real value and benefit to people that I could produce? Anything I might manufacture will not have any enduring long term quality. It may provide some form of entertainment, appreciation, improve a person’s living conditions or raise their level of physical comfort - all of which may last for a shorter or longer period - but none of which will provide any form of ultimate improvement or benefit to people.
For years now I’ve been teaching the lessons of Scripture – we are but strangers and aliens on this planet, passing through (1 Pet 2:11; Heb 11:13); All of life, that which we earn, the goals we have, the amusements we engage in, the relationships we form,the responses we make to trials and difficulties in life, the credits we take for personal achievements and the ways in which we develop our attitudes to life – all of it is to believed and offered to our wonderful Lord as a sacrifice of thanksgiving (Rom 12:1-3).
The question for me then became, am I doing this now, and how would I do it living out in the bush? All-of-life service to God is not about dedicating ourselves to full time ministry as I am doing now. In fact, a person can be in the position I am in,and while giving the appearance of a sanctified life, still be living a very worldly and unsanctified life. Besides, there are certain tasks which we cannot avoid and which are indispensable to our ability to provide shelter, food, and clothing, and pay the education and provide for our children. Of course, even while the day to day tasks are all to be dedicated to the Lord as much as ‘holier’ activities, there is still often a feeling among us that they take us away from being truly committed to the Lord.
I believe there are three attitudes which ought to sum up our Christian living – Three ways which should sum up how we live out our commitment and love to God for the love He has given us in Christ Jesus.
1. Demonstrate
This is where we get serious. If the blessing of God’s grace means anything, and eternal life in the presence of Truth and Love – the Lord God of heaven and earth – is a genuine reality, then we must be demonstrations of the glory of God.As already noted above, there is no single part or aspect to this life which, from its very beginning to its end – and after –that does not belong to God. All of life is for the glory of God and to be lived in service to Him.
In practice this must be demonstrated by each of God’s people in the ways in which we live, being careful to bring everything under review – not just the big things of life. What this means is that while God and His glory are the primary focus, our lives will also be a demonstration to the people we live with each day of what we believe and who it is we serve.I believe this to be the highest calling Christians have – to serve God and be living demonstrations of service to Him.
2. Build trust
Very often we are urged by passionate evangelists to simply be proclaimers of the gospel. There is no doubt the Spirit of the Lord uses the open proclamation of the Word of Salvation and brings souls to receive the Lord Jesus Christ. Not everyone however, has been called to be evangelists in that sense. We have, on the other hand, all been called to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
In day to day living, while seeking to be demonstrations of the gospel (as the people we live with learn to know us and see that we seek as best we can - with God’s help - to live how the Bible teaches us to live), our aim with them is for them to learn to trust us.
3. Share
This, I believe, is the environment in which we are best able to share the convictions which cause us to live life as Christians.People who trust us because they have seen in us that we are people of consistent Christian principle may more readily approach us for advice and help and we must then be ready to be the evangelist we are all called to be and bring the Word of the Lord with sensitivity and compassion but without fear(for the Lord is with us).
What I would do to earn the necessary means to live in such a setting is where it gets interesting. I sometimes think I would be able to return to carpentry, but I usually end up thinking about other ways. In a recent trip I thought that I should like to do something to create things which would be of benefit to others. This, however, is where my mind took a significant detour.
What could be of real value and benefit to people that I could produce? Anything I might manufacture will not have any enduring long term quality. It may provide some form of entertainment, appreciation, improve a person’s living conditions or raise their level of physical comfort - all of which may last for a shorter or longer period - but none of which will provide any form of ultimate improvement or benefit to people.
For years now I’ve been teaching the lessons of Scripture – we are but strangers and aliens on this planet, passing through (1 Pet 2:11; Heb 11:13); All of life, that which we earn, the goals we have, the amusements we engage in, the relationships we form,the responses we make to trials and difficulties in life, the credits we take for personal achievements and the ways in which we develop our attitudes to life – all of it is to believed and offered to our wonderful Lord as a sacrifice of thanksgiving (Rom 12:1-3).
The question for me then became, am I doing this now, and how would I do it living out in the bush? All-of-life service to God is not about dedicating ourselves to full time ministry as I am doing now. In fact, a person can be in the position I am in,and while giving the appearance of a sanctified life, still be living a very worldly and unsanctified life. Besides, there are certain tasks which we cannot avoid and which are indispensable to our ability to provide shelter, food, and clothing, and pay the education and provide for our children. Of course, even while the day to day tasks are all to be dedicated to the Lord as much as ‘holier’ activities, there is still often a feeling among us that they take us away from being truly committed to the Lord.
I believe there are three attitudes which ought to sum up our Christian living – Three ways which should sum up how we live out our commitment and love to God for the love He has given us in Christ Jesus.
1. Demonstrate
This is where we get serious. If the blessing of God’s grace means anything, and eternal life in the presence of Truth and Love – the Lord God of heaven and earth – is a genuine reality, then we must be demonstrations of the glory of God.As already noted above, there is no single part or aspect to this life which, from its very beginning to its end – and after –that does not belong to God. All of life is for the glory of God and to be lived in service to Him.
In practice this must be demonstrated by each of God’s people in the ways in which we live, being careful to bring everything under review – not just the big things of life. What this means is that while God and His glory are the primary focus, our lives will also be a demonstration to the people we live with each day of what we believe and who it is we serve.I believe this to be the highest calling Christians have – to serve God and be living demonstrations of service to Him.
2. Build trust
Very often we are urged by passionate evangelists to simply be proclaimers of the gospel. There is no doubt the Spirit of the Lord uses the open proclamation of the Word of Salvation and brings souls to receive the Lord Jesus Christ. Not everyone however, has been called to be evangelists in that sense. We have, on the other hand, all been called to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
In day to day living, while seeking to be demonstrations of the gospel (as the people we live with learn to know us and see that we seek as best we can - with God’s help - to live how the Bible teaches us to live), our aim with them is for them to learn to trust us.
3. Share
This, I believe, is the environment in which we are best able to share the convictions which cause us to live life as Christians.People who trust us because they have seen in us that we are people of consistent Christian principle may more readily approach us for advice and help and we must then be ready to be the evangelist we are all called to be and bring the Word of the Lord with sensitivity and compassion but without fear(for the Lord is with us).
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