Following Christ: a servant first

 S- Hebrews 12:5 (Nasb)

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
Nor faint when you are punished by Him;
6 For whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He punishes every son whom He accepts.”

O - I have never been one to back down from discipline,  God has put in me a spirit of excellence, and sometimes the confidence I display does not show the humility that Christ displays.   I am competitive and sometimes that causes me to make choices that are unwise.  However, the Holy Spirit is given to me to make wise decisions,   often time decisions that are opposite to the thoughts of the world.   I am called to do good works and sometimes that means I need to show others the path to righteousness by teaching them what not to do.   The Holy Spirit is my counselor, but I must heed His counsel or fall short of God's best for my life.   I have an obligation since I have made myself a slave to Christ, to behave in a way that honors Christ.  I am not to be boastful but rather humble myself before leaders that God has placed before me.     

A-  The application for me is to recognize that God has put a spirit of excellence in me, and I am not to take advantage of this but rather humble myself and be the greatest servant of all, because the first shall be last,  I am to do so out of love for God and His kingdom, storing up treasure in heaven and not in this world.  Though my flesh may fail, God's spirit in me will never fail. Since I have been made whole in Christ, I must guard my heart and my actions.  For out of my heart my words and actions will come.   First to serve Christ, then to show humility.  I am to serve those Christ love, for the building up of believers and not the tearing down of people.   He has not given me a spirit of timidity but one of strenghth, so I should guard my testimony by sharing all I have for the building of His kingdom and service to His will. 

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for this scripture that you have revealed to me.  May my words be pleasing to you and may my actions honor you.  I pray for the right words to live today better than yesterday, always seeking your best in life.  I pray you give me righteous words to provide and serve your people.  Help me to be the leader, teacher, and man of God you have called me to be.  In Jesus name, Amen.