OF NO REPUTATION & A Double Pain

OF NO REPUTATION

By Gary Wilkerson?

Jesus had the heart of a servant and he calls us to servanthood. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who,?being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,?but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form?of a bondservant,?and?coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and?became?obedient to?the point of?death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8).

I want to give you six things Jesus would tell us today about serving:

• A servant does not care about his reputation.
• As a servant, we care more about what God thinks of us than what others think.
• A servant does not get frozen in self-doubt or over-introspection.
• A servant serves according to God’s plans and purposes, by the Holy Spirit’s inspiration.
• A servant performs his services without a hint of pride.
• A true servant serves as Jesus did — and the world sees a difference.

True servanthood is selfless, humble, and seeks the good of others — esteeming others more highly than we esteem ourselves. We don’t always feel like serving, of course. We may serve well when things are going smoothly but adverse circumstances tend to sap our energy for reaching out to others.

In accordance with the first point above, Jesus “made himself of no reputation.” Our attitude should mirror that of Jesus, who did not do things out of selfish ambition or a need for recognition. He put his own status and comforts aside to work for the good of those around him.

Does your life make a difference that the world takes note of? Rewards, public recognition or gratitude should not be our motivation to live out true servanthood the way Jesus did. But what pleasure it brings our Savior when we follow in his footsteps — and that is our true reward.

A Double Pain

By David Wilkerson

The first part of God’s “double pain” is when we sin in His presence, against His light and love. The sin itself is not what grieves God, however, but the fact that He knows the consequences of our sin. God knows our sin is going to drive us to misery.

The second part of God’s “double pain” is that our sin compels Him to keep His Word in judging us. He has to stand by like a loving father and listen to our cries of anguish as He chastens us, all for the purpose of producing godly character in us.

At one time I came to a crisis, to the end of my rope. Slanderous things were being said about me; and after this had gone on for some time, I began to remind God of His Word: “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies shall perish”?(Proverbs 19:9, NKJV),?and “A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful (destructive) tongue”?(Proverbs 17:4).

After some time, I cried out in despair, “Oh, God, how long will You let this go on? The lies keep changing so much, I don’t even know what they are from day to day. You are my defender, Lord, and You say You will avenge Your people. But I don’t see You working any justice.”

As I thought of all the slander coming against me, I began to think of other beleaguered pastors and servants. There are many righteous people today who are enduring awful trials because evil words are being spoken against them. “Why, Lord?” I prayed. “Why do You continue allowing Your people to be hurt?”

The Lord answered, “David, I am merciful, longsuffering and slow to anger because it pains Me to mete out My justice. If you could feel My pain, you would never, ever desire to see My judgment fall. You would understand why I wait so long to bring it down. You know how painful it is to discipline your children. It is the same for Me. It pains Me to chasten those I love!”