Contents:
Nine has always been my favourite number… the number of the best hockey
players (or at least my favourites) and so I adopted it myself… This
is page 9… When I get to page 99, maybe I’ll think about writing a book
or something =) Any of you would buy it?
“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable for you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve … But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
Why serve God? The question was posed to me this weekend. As I mulled over the question, the answer came quickly. There are so many reasons to serve God – fear, guilt, desire for reward, to fit in with a Christian crowd, to meet the expectations of others, and just ‘cause there’s nothing else worth doing. But none of them mean anything without a relationship. Doing the right thing doesn’t impress God without a relationship. And serving God out of fear makes God out to be a tyrant, a slave-driver. Serving God for reward makes it seems that God’s a vending machine. Serving God to please others places others in the position of God. And none of these reasons gives any real fulfillment, but just an eventual sense of emptiness. Why serve God? I listened to a song Take 6 sings, written by Hallerin Hilton Hill:
Somebody said if you’re happy clap your hands
Silence was my answer, sorrow changed my plans
Then the Holy Spirit touched my soul
Now I clap my hands for Jesus everywhere I go because
Jesus makes me happy, Jesus makes me glad
Jesus is the centre of all the joy I have
Jesus makes me happy, Jesus makes me glad
Jesus is the centre of all the joy I have
Somebody said if you’re happy stomp your feet
But I was crippled by my loneliness, lost and incomplete
But since I met the Saviour things have changed
Now I’m happy and I know it, so I stomp in Jesus’ name
Jesus makes me happy, Jesus makes me glad
Jesus is the centre of all the joy I have
Jesus makes me happy, Jesus makes me glad
Jesus is the centre of all the joy I have
So if you’re happy, then clap your hands for Jesus
So if you’re happy, then stomp your feet for Jesus
So if you’re happy, then live your life for Jesus
And let the whole world know the reason for your smile.
© 1996 Hallerin Hilton Hill Music BMI
Do you have a special relationship? Perhaps with your mother? Perhaps a special brother or sister? Perhaps the one who is the joy of your desire? Think about that relationship – what makes it special? Is it your willingness to share with that person? Is it the feeling that you can totally trust them? Is it the knowledge that they consider you to be a special person? Is it a history that you have of experiences that the two of you have come through? Is it because you’ve experienced the closest thing on earth to unconditional love? All of these are part of what it means to build a relationship. And in a relationship, you do things for the one you love. Why? Why do you serve them? Our of fear of losing the relationship? Maybe. Out of guilt because of what they’ve done for you? Sometimes. To try to get on their good side so you can get what you want? Perhaps. But none of these tap into that true integrity that knows that you are being true to yourself. Why serve? The only true reason is out of love, the kind of true love that maintains and sustains a relationship.
And that love, that true love, only comes from God, and in fellowship
with God. Why serve God? Because you can’t avoid it. Because
His love in you compels you to. Because His love in you expresses
itself as you wanting to serve Him, expecting nothing in return.
Because in serving Him, your love finds its fulfillment and completion.
“For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again” (Proverbs 24:16)
Did you ever realize that true learning comes when we make our biggest mistakes? Consider this, if you get 100% on an exam, what does that really tell you? Well… it might tell you that you are brilliant. Or it might tell you that the exam was way to easy… It might even tell you that everything on the exam you knew before you took the course.
The bigger the mistake, the bigger the lesson, if you recognize your mistake, pick up the pieces, and live a better life for the learning. Take me, for example – today I was reminded very forcefully of the importance of wearing your seatbelt… Now I wasn’t in a car to learn this lesson, and it wasn’t really me experiencing the lack of belt, but rather Toby. Who’s Toby? That’s my lap-top’s name. Toby was in his carrying case, on my shoulder, and of course I thought he was buckled in with his velcro straps – he usually is. But when I opened the case to take out some papers, out he tumbled, did about 2 somersaults, and landed <smack> on his feet, on the concrete. I looked down, saw the green light still on and breathed a sigh of relief. However, upon closer inspection, the screen was damaged beyond repair, and it seems there are some problems with the hard drive as well. Right now, I’m using a monitor I borrowed, and am prepared to stay up the night or whatever part thereof is necessary to print out my classroom notes for the next couple of weeks, as well as some other important documents. And yeah, I feel more than a little frustrated. We’ll be going to the ‘doctor’ either tomorrow morning or Friday. And I should be able to fly around the world on the frequent flyer point I’ll get on the credit card from this one…
But let’s all learn a lesson from this – protect the ones you love… make sure they’re buckled up. Not everyone is as easy to repair as a computer.
I hope to write again soon, but I’m not sure of the logistics presently. I’ll be able to check my mail, though, from one source or another, so please don’t stop writing. Pray for my computer, and for me. I love you all.
In Jesus,
Dave.