Are You a Servant?

O. T. #1634"Are You a Servant?"
Feb. 24, 2020
Isaiah 41-Part 3
Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art My servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. (verse 9)

LET IT GLOW

As I mentioned earlier, we attended a business conference last week. We would meet together for meals provided by various venders and our franchise. They had great servers, friendly and nice, willing to provide what we needed. I always told them "thank you." It was a wonderful experience, eating out under the stars and twinkling lights. (Twenty degrees warmer than back home.) And the food was exquisite, too, with such a variety. Although, I can't say that I have eaten spicy meat in eggs before, and not so much Mexican food in three days. But of course, it was Arizona. I should not have looked for southern food out there, huh.  :) Judah was to be a servant. Continue reading to find out more.

Judah and Israel's national heritage traces back to Abraham, known as the friend of God, and Jacob, his grandson. God chose each of them to be His servant, according to verse 8.

Friend is an even higher designation than servant and speaks of a greater faithfulness.(MacArthur) See John 15:14-15, 2 Chronicles 20:7, James 2:23.

Now read our key verse. Judah was chosen (to try, select, acceptable, join) by God to be His servant (a slave or bondman). It was an honor to be a servant of God. It pertains to a close intimacy between master and servant. As Judah, and their remnant, remained faithful in obeying God, their light shown to the heathen, idolatrous nations around them. They were to be different and a witness of the power and compassion of their God. However, some in the nation did not remain faithful, so God's judgment fell on them and all were taken away into a foreign land for 70 years, to be servants of the Babylonians.

Who are we serving today-Jesus or our self? Are we remaining a faithful servant of God? Do we go to our Master for instructions concerning what to do and where to go daily as we serve Him? Or do we run on doing our own thing without consulting Him?


LET IT GROW

What is the promise God gave to Judah at the end of our key verse? God would not cast them away.
In the Hebrew language, cast means to spurn, disappear, despise, refuse, reject.

When we fail our God, take comfort friend, He will forgive us and not cast us away, despise us, refuse us, reject us, nor spurn us. People might treat us that way, but our Savior will not. He welcomes us back with open arms. His grace is abundant.

Jesus said in John 15:14, You are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Now don't we want to be Jesus' friend and have Him as our friend? He is a friend that walks closer than a brother.

LET IT GO
Jesus, my heart's desire is to serve You today.
Thank You for choosing me to be your servant and friend.
How wonderful and faithful You are!