GEMS Service Center
Dear Sisters,
Merry Christmas, dear sisters! Joining you as you celebrate God’s love to us through the victorious reign of His only Son King Jesus and waiting with expectation for His second return. He is our Divine Love and Eternal King who sits on the throne! Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:1-3).
The Service Center will be closed from December 23 to 31.
During the month of December our GEMS are focusing on “Serve Others” in their Sparkle and SHINE brightly! Bible lessons. Let’s get in the Word with them.
WHAT’S YOUR MOTIVE?
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his (her) praise from God.
1 Corinthians 4:5
The Barna Group recently released a report called Six Megathemes from Barna Group Research in 2010. One of the six patterns that were evident in their survey findings is that “Among Christians, interest in participating in community action is escalating.” They identified young adults as the driving passion and energy behind community service activities. Their works of justice and acts of mercy have influenced the church. People are eager to serve others! They have moved from apathy to action!
The report then delivers a warning. “Despite the increased emphasis, churches run the risk of watching congregants’ engagement wane unless they embrace a strong spiritual basis for such service. Simply doing good works because it's the socially esteemed choice of the moment will not produce much staying power.”
If our motive to serve is not pure before the Lord, it will die out. Our motives matter! They matter to God and cannot be hidden from Him. For the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts (1 Chronicles 28:9). All of a man’s (woman’s) ways seem innocent to him (her), but motives are weighed by the LORD (Proverbs 16:2).
In her book Breaking Free, Beth Moore says, “Our motivations for reaching out and serving others aren’t always pure. My dear friend Kathy Troccoli, who ministers full time, asked a critical question: ‘Am I ministering out of my need or out of the overflow of my own relationship with God?’ We would be wise to ask ourselves the same question. Do we crave the affirmation of those we serve and do they help us feel important? Or do we serve because Jesus has so filled our hearts that we must find a place to pour the overflow?”
If our hearts overflow is gratitude for all God has done for us we will offer ourselves in service to Him as those who have been brought from death to life (Romans 6:13). Our incentive to do good deeds will be an overwhelming desire that our Father in heaven be praised and pleased (Matthew 5:16, Romans 14:18)! Our service will win over pagans that, though they accuse [us] of doing wrong, they may see [our] good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us (1 Peter 2:12).
PASSION Step: Why do you serve the way you serve – to please God or to please people? Ask God to expose and purify your motives for doing what you do.
The more that churches and believers can be recognized as people doing good deeds out of genuine love and compassion, the more appealing the Christian life will be to those who are on the sidelines watching.
The Barna Group
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