The
Destitution of Service
by Oswald Chambers
.
. . though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved —2 Corinthians 12:15
Natural human love expects something in return. But Paul is
saying, “It doesn’t really matter to me whether you love me or not. I am
willing to be completely destitute anyway; willing to be poverty-stricken, not
just for your sakes, but also that I may be able to get you to God.” “For you
know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your
sakes He became poor . . .” (2 Corinthians
8:9). And Paul’s idea of service was the same as our Lord’s. He did
not care how high the cost was to himself— he would gladly pay it. It was a
joyful thing to Paul.
The institutional church’s idea of a servant of God is not at
all like Jesus Christ’s idea. His idea is that we serve Him by being the
servants of others. Jesus Christ actually “out-socialized” the socialists. He
said that in His kingdom the greatest one would be the servant of all
(see Matthew 23:11).
The real test of a saint is not one’s willingness to preach the gospel, but
one’s willingness to do something like washing the disciples’ feet— that is,
being willing to do those things that seem unimportant in human estimation but
count as everything to God. It was Paul’s delight to spend his life for God’s
interests in other people, and he did not care what it cost. But before we will
serve, we stop to ponder our personal and financial concerns— “What if God
wants me to go over there? And what about my salary? What is the climate like
there? Who will take care of me? A person must consider all these things.” All
that is an indication that we have reservations about serving God. But the
apostle Paul had no conditions or reservations. Paul focused his life on Jesus
Christ’s idea of a New Testament saint; that is, not one who merely proclaims
the gospel, but one who becomes broken bread and poured-out wine in the hands
of Jesus Christ for the sake of others
Posts
