As often happens when I pray, on this day the Lord addressed my concern and then brought up something unexpected concerning a dear friend in our church body.

From the journal . . . . September 1995

O Lord, help me to serve without expecting recognition.  Let me just serve You!  Please reveal any selfish motives I have, and grant me repentance that I may turn from them.  Let me take my thoughts captive.

2 Cor 10 :5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

And I Believe God Said:

That is a good request.  You need clear vision to be able to help when you see the opportunity.  Forget about the physical audience that may be watching and respond to your heart.  Respond to what My spirit tells you. 

Gal 5:13  For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.
Matt. 6:1-4“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. ² When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. ³ But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. ⁴ Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

A huge aspect of the Christian life is to serve one another, as well as the outside community.  I must say, sometimes serving independently is much more comfortable than working together to serve.  There are often differences in style, personality, temperament and simply differences of opinion.

Unfortunately, we sometimes want to talk about these differences to others in a critical way.  I‘ve been guilty of doing that and/or listening to disparaging comments concerning another brother or sister in the faith. This is not good.  

Be supportive of Martha.   You have listened to the enemy’s rumors concerning her.  Don’t.  Be her champion.  Be loyal and faithful to her.  She is vulnerable.  She needs you to be her faithful friend and she needs you to pray.  The enemy wants to get her.

Hebrews 12:14-15 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. ¹⁵ Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.

I have two favorite verses I like to use as scriptural weapons of warfare against negative thoughts and words.       

Eph 4:29  Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

 Phil 4:8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.