IMPROVE YOUR SERVE

But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner.  For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.  (Hebrews 6:9-12 NKJV)

What Paul means by “things that accompany salvation,” points in the context to the Christian’s “work and labor of love” demonstrated “in that you have ministered to the saints….”  Our “full assurance of hope” is reinforced by our service to Christ.  Note—we are not saved because we serve, but we serve because we are saved.  The question then is not will I serve God or not—that is not an option—but how effective am I in service?

That vital matter leads me to share a series of messages in October entitled, “Improve Your Serve.”  No matter where we are on the scale of faithfulness to serve and fruitfulness in service, there is always room for improvement.  So, we will share from Scripture how we can be more effective in our work for the Lord.

I don’t know if you play tennis or have at some point, but if you do then you understand how crucial the serve is to winning the match.  Where you serve—there is a specific area where the ball must land—and the way you serve—the greater the speed and spin you put on the ball the better—cannot be overstated as to its significance.  One of the keys to improving your serve in tennis is follow through.  It isn’t just focusing on the immediate impact at the point of striking the ball—certainly crucial—but how we follow through the point of impact which determines direction and velocity.

As a spiritual illustration, the point of impact is the commitment to follow Christ which calls us to salvation and with salvation a commission to service.  The impact on us is the receiving of grace gifts that equip us with the resources we need to get the job done.  The impact on the world is measured by the degree of follow through.  This is what gives our service force and leads us to victory—victorious Christian service!

So, what has God called you to do?  How has He wired you up?  What are your spiritual gifts?  Are you following through on serving Him?