THE STANDARD FOR SERVANTS

"Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his household who managed all he owned, 'Place your hand under my thigh, and I will have you swear by the Lord, God of heaven and God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I live, but will go to my land and my family to take a wife for my son Isaac.' " (Genesis 24:2-4 HCSB)

Eliezer was Abraham's servant--and it would be difficult to find one more faithful. He provides a model for all who would serve the Lord.

His qualities are on display in Genesis 24. There he is sent by Abraham on a mission to seek a bride for his son. God is doing that--sending us out to find a bride for His Son. Paul explained his assignment in a similar way when he said, "For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy, because I have promised you in marriage to one husband-to present a pure virgin to Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:2 HCSB)

Eliezer sets the standard for servants in his PREPARATION. His faithfulness in little things had prepared him for the larger task. He had consistently served his master in the mundane activities of the daily grind. This is why he had risen to be the senior steward of all Abraham's many servants. You will not be ready for the big assignment until you have proven reliable in the smaller ones.

We see his standard in his PASSION. There is no hesitation in his response. Abraham calls and Eliezer enthusiastically embraces the mission. He doesn't pause to question, or to seek excuses. His life was about service. He ate, drank and breathed devotion to his master. What I have seen often in Christian service is people who know in their head what they should be doing, but often lack in their heart the passion for serving. It requires both knowledge and zeal. Knowledge without zeal means you don't show up. Zeal without knowledge means you will blow up. Zeal with knowledge means you will grow up. Do you have a passion to perform for the Master?

There is the standard set in his PRAYER. He seeks God's direction. Over and again we find Eliezer calling upon the Lord. Humble reliance upon God marked him. When Christ commissioned His disciples to go into the world and seek His bride, He commanded them first to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit. So, they prayed and the power came. It was a church birthed, bathed and built in prayer--and the world was turned upside down! We don't need better methods today, we need better men--men and women of prayer!

Then we see Eliezer's PERCEPTION. Arriving at a strategic spot, he waits--and watches. He is looking to see where God is moving and then he will move. He spots Rebekah, casts out the bait, she bites and he reels her in! What a catch! Think about the people Jesus saw: some fishermen tending their nets, a tax-collector doing his work, a thirsty woman drawing water, a crippled man begging for help, a short fellow perched in a tree--and so many more. That perception led to transformation! Christ's followers did likewise. Peter and John see a cripple begging outside the temple, Philip sees a man reading the Scripture while riding in a chariot, Barnabas sees the gracious activity of God among Gentiles and Paul sees pagans worshipping at the altar of an unknown God they need to know. Jesus said, "Open your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ready for harvest." (John 4:35b HCSB)

We hear Eliezer set the standard in his PROCLAMATION. He has some good news to share! Isaac--a most eligible bachelor--is presenting a marriage proposal to a potential bride through his servant. Thus, we go with a message of love to the world, calling people into a relationship with Christ. Like Eliezer, we cannot limit our audience to our neighborhood, but be willing to journey far and wide. God has sent us into the highways and by-ways of life to invite people to the great marriage supper.

Abraham's superlative servant shows his PERSISTENCE. From start to finish, his journey was arduous without assurance of success. But, we find him pressing on. Even after finding Rebekah, her brother Laban tries to slow things down, but Eliezer feels such an urgency about completing his assignment that he persists and insists on a decision. Seeking souls to bring to Jesus will not be an easy job. There will be plenty of opportunities to give up. One of the subtle temptations is procrastination. "I know I need to share the Gospel with my Dad." "I'm going to talk to my neighbor about Christ--soon." But delayed obedience is disobedience. Your persistence will not guarantee a favorable response--no more than Eliezer could have been certain of it--but, failure is assured if we don't make the effort!

Mark the model of Eliezer's PRESENTATION. He presents gracious gifts--riches and robes. "Then he brought out objects of silver and gold, and garments, and gave [them] to Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and her mother." (Genesis 24:53 HCSB) As we share the Gospel we are calling people to new life in which they will be rewarded with the riches of God's grace and robed in the righteousness of God's justification. Best of all, he presents a beauty to the bridegroom. It was love at first sight! What joy the old servant must have felt in a job well done!

That is the temporal joy of the servant of God and the eternal bliss he or she will know when we have been faithful. Let us go and do likewise!