The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"The Servant Heart of God"
"The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and give His life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28).
Others mattered completely (and continue to matter completely) to the Lord Jesus Christ.
"I came down from Heaven not to do Mine own will, but the will of My Father" (John 6:38).
"Christ… hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us" (Ephesians 5:2).
"He ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).
In His devotion to others, the Lord Jesus reflects the unselfish disposition of God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit.
"He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9).
"The fruit of the Spirit is love" (Galatians 5:22).
This is written as an appreciation of so glorious a God, who forever lives in self sacrificial devotion to others. "God is love… Charity (love) seeketh not her own" (I John 4:8; I Corinthians 13:12). A perfectly unselfish triune Being, the living and true God, acts according to the character most vividly displayed in the Lord Jesus (including both His administration of mercy and of wrath, a subject to be considered at another time). Indeed, in Christ we see not only who God is, but also what human beings are meant to be in "the beauty of holiness," that is, of dedication to our Lord and others (Psalm 29:2). A servant's heart beats in the great and glorious Creator, Sustainer, and Lord of all things. Again, the servant Son said it plainly: "He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father." The Lord Jesus also declared His unselfish devotion as the reflection of the Holy Spirit: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He hath anointed Me" (Luke 4:18).
One cannot truly know this God without being completely amazed, enthralled, enraptured, and filled with wonder. Indeed, the book of Revelation depicts more than one hundred million angels thronging the throne of Heaven to proclaim, "Worthy is the Lamb!" The Lamb. Or, the Sacrifice. The Offering. The Holy One who esteemed His Father's will and the needs of others are far more important than His own place, position, comfort, and life. I think often of those myriads of angels. Why do they praise the Lamb? One answer always transcends all others: they cannot help but do so because in Christ, they see the very nature of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, the nature of perfectly unselfish devotion to others. This is who He is, and this is what He does. We cannot truly see Him without loving who and what He is, and without desiring to love Him in personally devoted commitment, affection, and adoration of our hearts. "We love Him because He first loved us" (I John 4:19).
We do well to join those angels just now, and forevermore. As is so often the case, the Psalmist best leads us in our response to the wonder that is God…
"I will extol Thee, my God, O King; and I will bless Thy name forever and ever. Every day will I bless Thee; and I will praise Thy name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honor of Thy majesty, and of Thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of Thy terrible acts: and I will declare Thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of Thy great goodness, and shall sing of Thy righteousness.
The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works. All Thy works shall praise Thee, O LORD, and Thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom, and talk of Thy power to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom."
(Psalm 145:1-12)
Weekly Memory Verse
"And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh."
(I Timothy 3:16)
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