Radical Service

I have been contemplating radical service in light of James 1.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Jas 1:22-27

Radical Surrender

If we do not surrender all in our radical service then we have gazed in the mirror. We have understood that all flesh is as a vapour. We have gone on with our lives as if it is nothing.

But if having once gazed on the perfect law of liberty we understand and go in that understanding to surrender ourselves completely. If we go without reservation, living that surrendered life in complete satisfaction in the infinity of Love that is God Himself, we are of all people most blessed.

A life of worship surrenders itself in obedience to the magnificence that is God.

What is Truth?

Jesus Christ says he is the truth. Unfortunately, when we say we have the truth, we mean that we have a heap of so-called truths which are really a bunch of doctrines and rules. What we really should mean is that we have Jesus. We really should mean that Jesus possesses our hearts and that we want to live Jesus all the days of our lives. That is possessing truth and living the real truth.

I saw an interesting but not unusual question recently.  “Do you believe God has a purpose with you?”

I used to subscribe to this belief that God had an individualised and specific purpose with me, but now I have subtly altered my view.

God has a purpose with the world. Numbers 14:21 and Habakuk 2:14 articulate this in limited fashion. I have written an article on the greater purpose of God here.

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

Hab 2:14

The day I invited God and Jesus to dwell in my heart is the day that God’s purpose became my own.

My task is to start the healing of a broken world and filling it with His Glory.

Radical Service Everyday

Every day I have to ask myself if what I am doing that day advances His purpose and will my actions today magnify His name. What radical service will I engage in today.

Some days the answer is yes, some days, I need to rethink.

We need to live everyday on a war footing in the terms of Ephesians 6. Particularly verse 12.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Eph 6:12

Go to War

Go to war with spiritual leaders of darkness and the corrupt leaders.  Stop playing safe and weak. Play big and recognise your part in the war!

We must work at understanding the great purpose that God has called you to. If you don’t, you risk never doing more than fulfilling all that this world is… the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the arrogance of material possessions.

Don’t tie yourself to the things that you see around you. Think big, dream big but above all take big action. This broken world does not need small minds. It needs people who have made God’s will their own. These people take the big actions that God wants to take through you. God wants these big actions because He desires a beautiful harmonious world at peace with Him.

Put on the armour of God, the sword of the spirit. Go to war against the brokenness of this world.