2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Isaiah 43:14-45:10 ESV, Ephesians 3:1-21 ESV, Psalm 68:1-18 ESV, Proverbs 24:1-2 ESV
Daily Verse: “Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power.” (Ephesians 3:7 ESV)
DIAKONOS (1249): “This word focuses on the servant in his activity for the work and not his relation to a person. Doulos (1401) stresses relationship.”[1]
Stresses relationship.
Paul, calling himself a minister, refers to his calling from God. Where the Old Testament focused on titles, the New Testament rejected them, focusing instead on a word not as prestigious.
Minister, in this form, refers to a table waiter, someone who does the bidding of others. In today’s verse, the word describes anyone who lives and works for Jesus and the church.
Everyone who follows Christ has a calling from above in their life. Jesus summed our purpose up for us in the Great Commandment: love God, love others (Mark 12:30-31).
Active calling.
God gave you an active calling, one which requires His assistance. Only by connecting with Jesus can we fulfill our roles in this life. When you picture the Cross, you realize that to love others, we must first receive affection from above.
“Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.” – C. S. Lewis
Only with Jesus can we honestly pray for the ultimate good of those in our lives. Without Christ’s intervention, human emotions like jealousy, envy, insecurity, anger, and impatience keep us from sincerely wanting the best for others.
But when we let Jesus lead our lives, as Paul did, we become servants to those around us—willingly doing all we can to help them have life to the fullest on earth and eternal life with Jesus.
Pointing people to Jesus helps them find the ultimate good in their lives. The best way to introduce others to Christ happens when we serve them in love. When we act counter-culturally, putting others first instead of ourselves, we imitate Jesus best.
To mimic Christ, we must spend time getting to know Him. When Jesus becomes your primary relationship, seeking Him first in all things, all of your other relationships will flourish.
Serve others well by connecting with Jesus daily. Let Christ motivate you to minister to everyone you meet.
[1] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 65) Thomas Nelson
