Spiritual Contemplations for those who serve the Lord |
The Need for Self-Evaluation Every servant should look at self-evaluation as a necessary process carried out not only at the end of a fiscal year but as a continuous endeavor that throws light on his performance and the success or failure therein. Self assessment requires sitting quietly with oneself, developing self awareness that leads to evaluation of performance, productivity, achievements and hence the required improvements. In addition to the assessment, correction and direction of the Holy Spirit,; self evaluation requires emphasis on three important dimensions: 1. Goals 2. Emotions and motives 3. Performance 1. Assessment of Goals A servant's goals in service, both for himself and for those whom he serves, must be spiritual in nature entirely stripped of personal or earthly gains; always pointing towards Jesus Christ and spiritual accomplishments under the direction of Jesus Christ's teachings. St. Paul emphasized this concept saying, “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2). Focusing on spirituality as a primary goal, safeguards against dispersion of thoughts and loss of peace. In addition, remembering that service is from the Lord directed to the Lord, will confirm the need for the Lord as the one and only one goal; as Lord Jesus Christ Himself has confirmed “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.'” (Luke 10:41-42). It is important to know that spirituality does not stand in the way of diversification and innovation in service provided spirituality remains the main goal. The best example in balancing out a spiritually directed service is St. Paul as revealed in his words, “to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23). Any service that has the salvation of souls as its primary goal is a quiet, faith-charged service full of consolation and satisfaction. 2. Assessment of Emotions and Motives In general, self-appraisal is not an easy task. It requires honest and thorough critical reflection on oneself. Such reflection helps synthesize emotions and motives of the heart and analyze the modes and causes of actions in order to gain control over one's own spiritual growth and promote it. “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:11-12). A faithful servant should be honest with himself not allowing delusion to creep in his heart because of people's praise. Critical reflection helps a servant analyze the motives behind his service whether they are for financial gains, love for authority, egoistical satisfaction; all of them being anything but spiritual and all them being far away from the real godly goal in service which is the glory of God and not the self. Solomon gives the most outstanding sequence in conducting critical thinking and the therapeutic steps to be taken thereafter “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil” (Proverbs 4:23-27). The "servant" status is neither guarantee nor immunity against change of motives and personal agendas. In fact, replacement of goals with new earthly ones can easily take place and any servant is very much exposed to abominable changes of heart. Judah Iscariot is an example of a perverted heart. His presence and service with Jesus Christ in very close proximity did not stop him from selling his Master. King Saul is another example of a perverted heart. Although God had given him a new heart and zeal for accomplishing God's mission, yet gradually his heart started to change becoming filled with envy and jealousy against David to the extent that he wanted to kill him. St. Paul urges the Philippians to follow his example and pattern “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things” (Philippians 3:18-19). This proves the constant need for revising our goals and motives always praying for God's protection repeating with David, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24). 3. Assessment of Performance Performance incorporates a servant's manner and style of conducting service which is in direct relation with his personality. Examples of different performances resulting from different personality profiles appear in different styles of management ranging from very strict to very lenient, very spiritual to very dialectical and very rule oriented. Hence, for the boat of service to sail smoothly in a sea of ups and downs and lots of turmoil, a servant may need to avoid rigid imposition and make some personality adaptations if his work in some areas is not adequate before his service fails and he gets to be blamed. This does not mean that a servant changes his personality to the extent of becoming pleaser of men. Rather, he should ask the Holy Spirit's wisdom and guidance to fulfill his primary goal which is relaying faithfully the message of the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of souls taking St. Paul's service as an example of a balanced service feeding milk to those who were not ready to receive solid food, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, 'I am of Paul,' and another, 'I am of Apollos,' are you not carnal?” (1 Corinthians 3:1-4). Conclusion The best example of a servant who has adopted critical thinking as a route to self-evaluation, assessment of performance under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and stability of goal is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
This is clear in His words to the apostles wherein and thereby he has established a number of norms. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:12-15). The Lord Jesus knew when and how to cater for the needs of different genres of people addressing His disciples differently than the multitudes of people or the Pharisees and Sadducees. Since variables are too many and the constants are few, priests should remain constant to the constants i.e spirituality in service while revising their production according the requirements and needs of the time of their service. David describes the various manners God uses saying “With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; with a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; with the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. You will save the humble people; but Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down. 'For You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord shall enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop; by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.’” (2 Samuel 22:26-31). “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; the God of my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior, You save me from violence” (2 Samuel 22:2-3). May the Lord guide us with His Holy Spirit while we revise our goals, assess our performances in our service and make the necessary adjustments.
1 Comment
While on earth, our Lord Jesus Christ sent out two missions. One to be conducted by the twelve disciples and the other by the seventy apostles He later on had chosen. Before sending those missions out in the field of service He established very important precepts which were to be followed by the first disciples and apostles and by the church up to this present day. God is the Caller "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you" (John 15:16). These words, from the blessed mouth of our Lord, confirms that service is a calling from the almighty that needs subsequent joyful and willing compliance, obedience and submission. Two by Two The Lord instructed His disciples to go out in pairs. The number two has its significance in both the old and new testaments. In this particular incident, number two signifies solidarity, support, encouragement, empowerment and uplifting. Although our Lord openly contended that "the harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few" (Matthew 9:37), which would logically make single mission more economical and productive; yet our Lord at that point in time was more concerned about the quality of service rather than quantity believing that God is capable of sending more workers to His field. A Compensatory Plan Sending His disciples out in couples reduced by half the coverage area of service. Knowing the vital indispensable need for more servants would not be met except by prayers, "Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'" (Matthew 9:37-38). This command was not given to the disciples only but to the Body of Christ throughout the centuries. How many times do we remember to pray for more faithful servants? Required Consecration An answer to God's calling to serve must be followed by consecration of one's life. This consecration can be either:
Qualifications for the Calling Meekness The first prerequisite is meekness in order for the mission to succeed. Our Lord realized how rough and crude the road would be but also knew the landmarks on those rough roads. "Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves" (Luke 10:3). His words presupposed the preexistence of wolves to which the lambs would be sent. Safety and security of the lambs were not promised. However, conversion of the wolves into lambs was feasible. Christ's followers should not lose their meek nature in the midst of ungodly people but trust they will certainly affect the unruly and change their nature. The Master of the game is our Lord Himself and we are to learn directly from Him, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29). Readiness The second prerequisite, readiness for service, is manifested in the willingness to sacrifice personal comfort, time, money and even life. St. Paul laid it down clearly when he said, "As it is written: 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.'" (Romans 8:36). The ceremony of bishop ordination symbolizes very vividly this concept of laying down the self. The bishop to be ordained gets escorted by two other bishops who pull him by the end of his sleeves up to the altar thus indicating what persecutions, pain and sufferings await him just like his Master who like a sheep taken to slaughter did not open his mouth (Isaiah 53:7). Joshua, son of Sirach says, "My son, if you draw near to serve the Lord, prepare your soul for temptation" (Sirach 2:1). A true servant's role is to carry the others' burdens, weaknesses, infirmities and sins causing them to become his, and after that struggle and strive before God in order to be healed from them. St. Paul says, "We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves" (Romans 15:1). During the Divine Liturgy, the priest prays in the inaudible prayer of preparation, "Receive this sacrifice on behalf of my sins and the ignorance of my people" thus calling what people committed as ignorance and his, as sins. That is the epitome of submission and readiness to suffer on behalf of the others. Another symbolic item is the crosses on the priest's tonic. For while the back cross is smaller than the front to signify the sins of the congregation, the front one is bigger to stand for his own sins. Rejection of the earthly Materialism is a big hindrance to service. Our Lord's instructions in this area were loud and clear "Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road" (Luke 10:4), thus indicating the need for complete liberation from concern about material needs. His cross examination of the disciples after coming back from their mission was whether they needed anything "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). Since He is the provider, get preoccupied and concerned about the Provider and stop worrying about the provision. A church that relies on her richness and monetary funds puts her faith at risk. Depending on money as a primary source for spreading the Word of God is against our Lord's teachings. It is quite surprising to see a congregation standing crippled before the advancement of their church service because of money. "We do not have the money for it." Such people do not realize the power that exists in this lack. In a similar situation, St. Peter's answer to the crippled man "Then Peter said, 'Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.'" (Acts 3:6). Preoccupation with the Spiritual message The message: "The kingdom of God is near" is the core of service. Advancing the Lord's kingdom and leading people to repentance and reconciliation was the disciples' major concern according to the Lord's directions. After the disciples service had extended, and fearing getting too much involved in what was beyond their scope and focus, they decided to delegate others to carry on with the social part of service including caring for the widows and the poor (Acts 6). What to Expect on the Journey When sending His disciples out on their first mission, our Lord gave them instructions not to take with them any provisions but to trust to have their needs met "And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house" (Luke 10:7). Every city they entered they were to eat and drink as they were given them; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. "Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you" (Luke 10:8). He forewarned them against rejection and gave the solution. "'The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.'" (Luke 10:11). While refusing to take anything from such people who rejected them, they were still to relay the spiritual message that "the kingdom of God is near" and that people should repent and confess their sins. The message for us today is that the church still remains open in spite of people's hard heartedness and resistance. Meeting Needs and Expenses When the disciples returned back, He rhetorically asked them whether they lacked anything. Our Lord wanted to hammer in the need for faith in God the provider. The church does not put any burden on people except that of love and sharing the good news of Salvation. However, it is in people's advantage and blessing to contribute with their financial resources towards building churches and supporting service. St. Paul expressed this concept clearly saying, "Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account" (Philippians 4:17). Also that explains the church's stance from money that comes from sinful gain or worldly resources. A sinner's donation is a defiled one. In 1 Chronicles 21:18-26, King David refused free service for God. "Then King David said to Ornan, 'No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing.'" (1 Chronicles 21:24) asserting the fact that it is the congregation's duty to meet their church's needs and finance their projects without relying on outside sources. It is sad to say that nowadays many churches are no more houses of God preaching the message of repentance and reconciliation. Many church buildings have been converted into places of social or business activities. Attending to Other's Needs In order for God's message of Salvation and Reconciliation to make sense and be accepted, attention must be directed to their physical needs. In order for people to listen, they must be healed first of their infirmities. That was our Lord's command, "And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'" (Luke 10:9). Even if total physical healing does not take place, yet praying with a sick person matters much and alleviates at least psychological pain. St. Paul went about performing healing miracles while he himself was denied one and the Lord told him, "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9). The Content of the Message
The Outcome of the Mission Joy As expressed in the disciples words "Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.'" (Luke 10:17) and recognized and admitted by the Lord Himself "And He said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.'" (Luke 10:18). However, the secret of Christ's true joy is to see all His sheep having arrived safely to the shore without damage of straying "And again: 'I will put My trust in Him.' And again: 'Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.'" (Hebrews 2:13). Eternal life "Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). More important than the joy incurred by the gifts of the Spirit and success in service is the fact that our names are written in heaven because of the work of Salvation in us. While the first may put us in danger of perdition because of pride or too much trust in the gifts and the self, the second grants us everlasting life and permanent Salvation and Redemption. St. Paul was cautious of this truth about the risk of losing one's salvation. So, he decided to "But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified" (1 Corinthians 9:27). Conclusion Service is not only for priests and deacons. There are different types of service. Any Christian person believing in Christ and having renewed his life and put on the new man is called for consecration and service. Consecration can be total or partial. Service has a price tag that comes with it. Our Lord said "But Jesus said to him, 'No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'" (Luke 9:62) but bear the cross and follow Him looking forward to the honor and glory that awaits those who serve with patience and faithfulness. *article by HG Bishop Youssef www.suscopts.org
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