Who Are You?

Bro. Ed Deaton, yet again, shared a wonderful message with the members of Sparta Baptist Church.  Each week, we are blessed by what God lays on his heart.  If you are looking for a place to land and call home, please consider visiting Sparta Baptist Church.  I am sure you will feel as blessed as we all do, to be listening to God's word spoken through someone as fluent as Bro. Ed.

Our message for this post comes from James 1:1.
¹James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

This may not sound like much of a passage to use in gathering life information but if we look deeply, we find it.  Do you know who James was?  It says above in the verse that James was a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.  But that wasn't all.  Do you know who James was?  You may not since James obviously didn't brag about who he was in the passage above.  Never did James brag about who he was but he certainly could have.  If we were in James' shoes, we would have.  James was Jesus' half brother.

You know, when people ask me where I live.  I don't tell them that I live in a county between Cincinnati and Louisville.  I tell them that I live in the same county as the Kentucky Speedway.  Why?  Because they are bragging rights and maybe, just maybe someone will say, "Oh, I have been there!"  Do you think if you ran into a famous person's long lost 15th cousin they would simply tell you their name?  No, they would say, "My name is so and so and I am so and so's 15th cousin."  James certainly could have bragged about who he was, but he didn't.  It didn't matter to him.  He cared more about spreading the word of the Lord than who he was.  He thought of himself as a servant to his very own half brother.   He wanted us to know he viewed himself as a servant. 

The number one thing killing America is our pride.  We are too proud to do anything the Lord wants us to do.  Think about this....who are we serving?  Are we serving ourselves?  Are we spending enough time serving the Lord?  You have 30 minutes before bed.  You have a choice to either watch your favorite show on telivision or spend time reading your Bible.  What do we choose 99% of the time?  Yep, you guessed it, the television because we are too busy serving ourselves to serve the Lord.  You know what is going to happen?  The Lord is going to look down at America for such pride.  Where will you be when He returns?  Will you be glued to the television or will your nose be stuck in the Good Book? 

What is a good servant?  The definition could be confusing and possibly leave room for argument.  Some may view servanthood as a 5 minutes a day thing while others view it as an every minute of every day thing.  If you think about a waiter or waitress in a restaraunt it can help with understanding the definition of a servant.  When you go to a restaraunt, do you want to sit at a table where the waitress gives you 5 minutes of service or would you rather sit at a table where the waitress waits on you the entire duration you are there?  Most likely you wouldn't tip the first waitress!  Now, what sort of tip would the Lord give you for your service? 

How can I be a good servant?  The Bible says, "Deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me."  Wait, wait, wait.....what was that first part again?  "DENY YOURSELF".  That means get rid of your pride and selfishness!  To be a good servant you must, labor for someone else, care enough about something to pick up and take care of it, spend quality time in prayer (remember, God will help you discover what he wants you to do), associate yourself with good people, music and books, and seek opportunities to witness/tell others about His love.  However; be careful and choose your path wisely.  Don't fall into the trap of wanting things in return for your services either!  God loves a cheerful giver.  You must serve without thinking you will get something in return!

A lot of people are scared to serve or feel they aren't qualified to serve.  We all need to realize that we all have the same mercy upon us as the preachers, deacons and EVEN the apostles in the Bible!  You are never too old to serve the Lord.  Your retirement begins the time the Lord takes you home.  Stop being a servant of the world and become a servant of the Lord.  Your tip depends on it!  You have a choice.....no tip at all and spend an eternity in Hell or the best tip ever offered.....an eternity in Heaven.  What kind of tip will the Lord give to you for your service?