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Not Self, But Service |
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| Not
Self, But Service
January 24, 2003 The enormous success of today’s self-help market reflects the emotional and
spiritual pulse of our nation: all around us are hurting, empty, and lost people
in need of God’s love and healing power.
If you have ever stepped foot in a secular self-help section of any
bookstore, you know that these books are in great demand. Consumers flock to bookstores, browsing
through vast aisles of bookshelves in search of relevant books to their
particular need or needs. These
books, which are based in humanistic motivation and philosophy, are deceiving;
for a short time, they do seem to meet one’s emotional and spiritual needs,
but in reality, such books do little more than pacify a hungry, crying heart. The self-help market claims to offer the impossible: healing apart from God. Once a self-help junkie myself, I sought
healing, hope, motivation, and inspiration apart from the Word of God. I read numerous books, desperate for
real, lasting change and healing. Ultimately,
secular knowledge left me empty, desperately yearning for more. Even the term, self-help, is flawed, for it implies that some bit of
knowledge we may otherwise lack, were it not for discovering it within the
covers of such a book, and our application of this knowledge to our lives is
sufficient to meet our life’s needs. Essentially,
we are to purchase the right book, read its contents, discover the information
we lack therein, and apply this profound knowledge to our lives, thereby
producing lifelong change. The
obvious problem with this process is that it is entirely of self and void of
God, His Word, and His Holy Spirit dwelling within us. As Christians, we have the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit, working by
God’s power to accomplish change and healing in our broken lives: “and He
will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit
of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it nether sees Him nor knows
Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John
14:16-17). We need only seek and
surrender to the Holy Spirit as He works within us to produce Christ-likeness;
this requires that we offer ourselves fully to Christ, that we may become more
like Him. As Christians, we also
have God’s Word, breathing truth into our souls. It’s imperative that we develop a
thorough knowledge of the Bible if God’s Word is to be of any benefit to us as
we face trials, transitions, and other situations to which we can apply the
Scriptures. A topical concordance
can be invaluable for such application. One
of my most often-used concordances is topically arranged, so, for example, when
I need to know what the Scriptures say about finances, I have all Bible verses
directly related to finances at my disposal.
Look to God’s Word frequently and heed its counsel, wisdom, comfort,
and joy. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God
may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” This means that in the Word of God, we lack nothing; through
studying and growing in Bible study, we are made complete, equipped, and capable
of “fulfilling our ministries” (2 Timothy 4:5). God’s purpose for our lives, then, is
not self-help, but rather help in Him, that we may then minister to others. The apostle Paul had previously written
about this in 2 Corinthians (chapter 1 verses 3-4): “Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who
are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by
God.” Paul’s chosen term, “God of all comfort” means that God’s comfort is
not limited by circumstances. Whether
small or great, past or present, whatever our circumstances, God and His Spirit
provide the comfort we seek. God
extends to us help in the hardest places. But
He doesn’t intend to stop there, for through this comfort, which we have
received by Him, we are to minister to others in need. This describes the circle of God’s
unfailing love: through Him, love and comfort flows to us; nourished and edified
by His love and comfort, we are to then minister to others. It simply isn’t enough to grow in
faith; we must also act in faith. How might God be using your past hurts to help another today? How has He delivered and healed you, and
how might you lead another to His healing power?
To what ministry has He called you to fulfill? Whether God has called you to minister
within your home as a wife and mother, to full-time ministry within the church,
or to befriend a new neighbor, seek opportunities to extend His love and comfort
to others. Isn’t this exactly
what Jesus taught His disciples in the experience related to us in Matthew
9:35-37? “Then Jesus went about
all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel
of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was
moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like
sheep having no shepherd. Then He
said to His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are
few.’” It is in relationship to
God first that a person is prepared and sent into the arena of human
relationships. When a person goes
with the divine perspective that says, “I am the Lord’s laborer. He is sending me. This is His harvest,” then, there is ministry unlimited
because “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37).
(Diane Musgrove, Editor, Human Relations, ICI University Press, 1997,
p.302) |
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