"3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." 4 When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was."
John 11:3-6 (NKJV)
''Him who you love'' By virtue of access, by virtue of relationship, Lazarus was close to Jesus. When Jesus heard Lazarus was sick, He said “the sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister and Lazarus. So Jesus loved the entire family but see what happened in verse 6, He heard that Lazarus was sick and stayed two more days. Jarius, when his daughter died, came to Jesus. Jesus went to Jarius house the same hour and He raised Jarius daughter from the dead. Lazarus had a relationship with Jesus. His sisters were close people with Jesus but Jesus still took two more days. Sometimes we say because I have served God when I pray instantly, God should answer my prayers, we see it as something we can ride upon. It is true you can ride upon the wings of your service because the Scripture made us to understand in Hebrews 6 that God actually remembers our labour of love but I am saying this to make you understand that service in the Kingdom is a privilege, you don't arm twist God because of your service. Remember what Jesus said to those people He said "the sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God." That means in Lazarus sickness, he was serving God. Lazarus was serving God in sickness and note that he didn't just get sick alone, he died. So in Lazarus death, he was glorifying God. The way God has scripted it, Jesus will come after Lazarus had died 3days and is stinking and will come and raise him from the dead and the whole city will be turned to the Lord. Hosea was asked by God to marry a prostitute. Now his marriage was a service to God. We must understand how deep our service can go. You serve God with your entire life. When Jesus was speaking to Simon Peter and He was talking about the death which He will die that He will glorify God so the nature of Peter’s death was in his service. The service of a believer is the life of a believer. You can't separate your life from service, that's why you can't retire from it. That's why you can't go on leave from it, it’s your life. You can't be a believer and be separated from service. You can't be a responsible believer and you are separated from service. Service is your life. All these people, their positions were not comfortable but they served God in it."10 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. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."
Hebrew 6:10-12 (NKJV)
Your work is like the embodiment of your service. God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which we show towards His name, not the one you have showed towards any other thing. You must work and labor in love, that is the criteria, and it must be towards His name. So you ask yourself, my service, has it cumulated into a work which is my labor of love? Is it towards His name? ''And do minister'' what does it mean? God rewards what you have done and what you are doing. God must meet you serving. God rewards you for the service you have done while serving so you can't give up serving. From Verse 11, Don't give up. You serve in hope and you serve Him till the end. You don't give up. God is not an unjust God and He does not forget your work and your labor of love towards His name. He doesn't forget it. From Verse 12, Don't start giving excuses, don't be weary, don't be tired but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Serve Him till the end, serve until God says to you like Abraham ''I know my servant Abraham he will command his children after him to serve Me". Serve and hand over service to your children. Model service to your children. Let your children see that you serve God and let them follow you. Abraham served God. Isaac served God. Jacob served God and that is why God is proud to be called the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Three successive generations. That means, what God said concerning Abraham was not wrong. He truly commanded his children after Him to serve God. Will God say the same about you? Will God say the same thing about your services? Will you command the children after you to serve God? Will you model service? Will you model correct responsible service enough that your children will have no choice but to follow the same step? I pray the Lord will help us in the name of Jesus. Source: [Centre for New Dimension Leadership]
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