Disciples

Hey Friends,

        Sorry I missed last week and this Thursday too, With Thanksgiving, birthdays, and Christmas decorating it can get a little chaotic. I'm super excited about the holidays and everything they include. This year, as a family we are going to really embrace the holiday season by baking, decorating, traveling, and becoming more centered on the reason for the season. 

--So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.-- James 2:17

        This verse is a wonderful verse to live by. It is a daily reminder and motivation for me. There are so many reasons I love being a Christ follower. There are the obvious reasons: eternal life, God consistently answering prayers, baptism, and God's promises made to me. But there is one aspect of being a Christ follower that I love most of all: serving. Serving is something that fills me up every time whether it's helping my mom with chores or going on a mission trip with my church. The reason I love serving so much is because of the result: all glory goes to God which leads to enhancing the kingdom of Heaven. I love the outcome of serving, because when I look back at it I realize that God is using me to enhance the kingdom. That blows my mind. With the little things I do and with the right motive I am directing more people to Jesus and showing more of Jesus through me. I do not serve for selfish reasons and to let everyone know what I just did. That is not serving. When I serve, I strive to have a cheerful heart and a servant's heart in all I do. 

        When you serve, you should do so with a cheerful heart. A cheerful heart is one that does things for the kingdom with a willingness and an eagerness that displays cheerfulness. We are called to act as Jesus did and I'm pretty positive Jesus did things with a cheerful heart.  (2 Corinthians 9:7)  Serving with a servant's heart ties back into that whole willing to serve aspect. A servant is someone who serves someone in higher authority. The person in authority often directs the servant in what to do, and the servant should do whatever he/she is told. We are the servant and Jesus is our person in authority over us. When we were baptized we accepted Jesus as our LORD and handed him the reigns of our lives. Jesus calls us to serve him and others, and when we obey we should do such things with a servant's heart, a willing heart. 

         During my summer camp, I really felt God's presence for the first time. I knew exactly what he was calling me to do. I think right then and there I was getting a glimpse at God's purpose for me. He was calling me to be more of an active disciple. He was calling out for me to serve more and I answered with obedience and patience. I felt the spirit alive in me and acted upon it. That week God created a passion within me that I would never lose. From then on I've gotten more involved within my church and looked at the way I serve in a different way. I want to serve in such a way that people know I do it with a cheerful heart and do it willingly. I don't serve for attention but rather for the glory of God. 

         My church, C.C.V, is joined with an organization called 1Mission. They find families in need of shelter and build a house for them. But they don't just build it and leave. The families get involved in the process: they put up their brand new door, they help put on a roof to a house they never thought of having. They are all about community, helping it and being apart of it, and bringing Jesus into it all too. We all may not speak the same language, but our purpose is easily communicated throughout the mission trip. Recently I got to go on one of these fabulous mission trips with 1Mission and C.C.V. Our high school program went down to Rocky Point, Mexico to build a house in three days. This whole trip moved me in way I knew I needed to be moved. I may have not started with a cheerful heart, but I redirected my motives and mindset, and started working from a selfless point of view. God was using me to change this family's life and show them the power of our Savior. I think I saw how powerful he really is throughout that weekend too.

         Serving is as big of a part of being a Christian as saying "I believe in Jesus." We have faith but we need to increase our deeds. We are not saved by works, but we have a faith that works. The only way it'll work is if we put it into action. So this week I challenge you to begin to serve more with a cheerful heart and a servant's heart, which will result in a more active faith. 

 XOXO- Em

P.S. I promise there will be more frequent posts to come :)