Stop serving God !

Friday, 21 July 2023

Stop serving God !

Search the Scriptures

Let him who is thirsty come ; let whoever wants take of the water of life freely. Revelation 22.17

The dream of a very large majority of Christians is to “serve God”. However, from all surveys, we find that more than 50% of pastors experience stress levels high enough to risk burnout. The dream then turns into a nightmare.

Imagine the scene : a young man walks for hours in a desert, thirsty and exhausted. When, suddenly, he discovers a small waterfall. Surprisingly, instead of drinking it, he takes a small bucket, fills it up, and goes back to other thirsty people to give them a drink. And so on. This man died of exhaustion and dehydration a few days later.

Isn't that what we see too often in the church ? Men and women serving God in their own strength, to the point of exhaustion. And sometimes even to the point of abandoning the ministry and the faith.

I would like to offer you another definition of the service of God : "To serve God is to pour out on others the overflow that one has received from God."

Back to our story. Don't you agree that the young man should have first thrown himself under the fountain and drank his fill ? Thus, he could have overflowed from the overflow he had received to give to others; and then return regularly to drink at the fountain.

My friends, everything is played out in the secret place where God our Father awaits us (Matthew 6:6). It is there that we receive, like a fountain, his beneficent presence. This is where we refuel and emerge equipped and fortified to outflank others.

Jesus set an example for us by spending time each morning with his Father and coming out filled with the Spirit to do good around him.

Through his work — death, resurrection, and ascension — we can access “the water of life free” at any time (Revelation 22:17).

So, are you going to stop “serving God” and start throwing yourself under the fountain ?

Listen the voice of God

Do you often feel that serving God is exhausting ? Take the time to listen to what God wants to tell you about this.

To pray is to talk to God as with a friend who loves you and can hear everything. Here is an example of a prayer : "Lord, I feel that I do not have enough strength to serve you and my brothers. Today, I understand that I must first come to your source and stay there until I am thirsty, before acting for you and for others."

Praise God

Today you can stop and bring back to your memory those wonderful moments when, because of your weakness, you let God work through you. It was wonderful, wasn't it ? So before you act, come first to the source of living water, and you will be amazed by your God !

Act today

Now, how are you going to use this key which will open up new horizons for you ? At first, maybe you need to stop all service, especially if you are exhausted. Get into the habit of coming to the living source, so that you can then share with new joy this divine abundance.

Honor the Lord

Our journey for the day ends. Let us pray together to honor our God.

"Thank you, Lord, you are the source of my life ! To you be the kingdom, the power and the glory, amen."

David Nolent

Source (The Thought of the Day)