Without a clear understanding of the meaning of spiritual service we stand to be discouraged by the things which need actually to encourage us. If our priorities are in the wrong place as we serve the Lord, we will be quick to give up in “disappointment”. As we seek to engage ourselves in true spiritual service it is essential for us to understand certain things that come with it.
We cannot expect true spiritual service to be void of conflict.
Jesus Christ likens the kingdom of heaven to a man who went out and sowed good seed in his field. While this man slept, however, an enemy came and sowed bad seeds among the good. When fruit starts coming out then the tares appear as well. Tares and wheat are almost identical, one is beneficial and the other is not.
All fruitful service will have to face conflict and knowledge of this fact represents endurance and perseverance. The appearing of the tares is actually encouragement rather than discouragement, for it speaks of fruitfulness.
This man went out sowing good seed but the enemy came and sowed bad seed. Endeavouring to sow “good” attracts the bad to you as well. As in the words of Oswald Chambers “The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is never to look for justice but never to cease to give it.” He goes on to speak of how Jesus literally said to his disciples “If you are my disciples, people won’t play fair, but never mind that, see that you play fair”
In this parable Jesus also depicts the attitude of true spiritual service. True spiritual service is permeated with an attitude of trust and not trying. The servants came to this man worried but he told them not to worry but to trust in the power and potency of the seed to grow in spite of whatever surrounded it. Spiritual service is not dependent on our initiative and strength, it is rather dependent on the Spirit of God working.
“We should not think that the Godhead is like gold or silver or stone, images made by man’s design and skill.”(Acts 17:29). An ounce of self in the service of God will do great harm for if we are to try to uproot the tares we may well uproot the wheat as well. Dependence on the Holy Spirit is imperative and without prayer and His continual guiding, spiritual service as God intends it will not be achieved.
True spiritual service is not intimidated by the enemy or any of his attempts to discourage us. True spiritual service bases its hope and confidence in Christ. True spiritual service is not hinged on environment but rather it is hinged on the relationship with the risen Christ.
The enemy takes notice of all fruitful spiritual service and he hates fruitfulness. Fruitfulness is the manifestation of Christ. A plant is only fruitful when it starts producing the seed that was sown and the seed that was sown was Christ when he went to the cross. The aim of all spiritual service is the fullness of Christ in the believer and it is this type of service that the enemy is hard set against.
Post published in: Faith