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Romans 14:18 – Becoming God Pleasers

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Will

For he who is serving Christ in these things is well pleasing to God and approved by men.

Truth to Learn

Serving Christ pleases God and gains the respect of others.

Behind the Words

The expression “in these things” is from the Greek en toutois, most likely referring to “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Some Greek texts have en toutō (in this), however the meaning is essentially the same (in this three-fold description of kingdom living; righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit).

“Serving” is translated from douleuō, which is the verb form of the noun doulos, meaning “a bond slave whose will is completely submitted to his master/owner.”

The adjective “well pleasing” is translated from euarestos, made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and areskō, meaning “to please” or “to be agreeable.” Thus, euarestos literally means “well pleasing.” I prefer this translation over “acceptable” because it shows us that it’s not simply okay with God, but that He really likes it.

“Approved” is from dokimos, which is based on the verb dokimadzō, meaning “to test something to ascertain its worth.”

Meaning Explained

The three characteristics of the kingdom of God spoken of in the previous verse are seen by some as a comprehensive division of true living Christianity. The first, righteousness, is a description of our standing with God (He sees us as having the righteousness of Christ). The second, peace, is a description of our relationship with others (especially other Christians). And joy in the Holy Spirit is a description of how others see us (full of calm delight) when we are completely submitted to God.

In verse thirteen of this chapter Paul told us that serving others is more important than serving ourselves. If you go back to the Ten Commandments given to Moses, you will notice that serving others instead of self, fulfills the second table of the Law (Commandments seven through ten). The point that Paul is making in the current verse is that serving God is more important than serving self. That fulfills the first table of the Law (Commandments one through six). We’re told that limiting our own freedoms based on what might cause a fellow Christian to stumble is an act of serving Christ (being His bond slave) and this is “well pleasing to God.”

Paul then goes on to say that not only does it greatly please God when we sacrifice our own desires in favor of those of our brothers or sisters, but this kind of action is “approved by men.” Those who see your behavior for what it really is will think it a worthy or noble thing that you have done.

We are not supposed to do things just to impress others, but this is one of those cases where if we are applying ourselves to pleasing God, we will also receive recognition from others for our good deeds.

Application

We would all like to be the kind of person who pleases our Heavenly Father and who receives recognition from others for our unselfish lifestyle. Unfortunately, we still have a sin nature which draws us back to our selfish ways. Through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit, however, we can become the kind of Christian we want to be.

Let’s pray!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 12:11 – Diligent Spiritual Service

Posted on October 5, 2018 by Will

in diligence, not slothful, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

Truth to Learn

A Christian’s life should be characterized by diligent service.

Behind the Words

“Slothful” is from oknēros, from the verb okneō, meaning “to be slow, to be lazy, or to delay.”

The word translated “diligence” is spoudē, which literally means “speed,” but by implication it refers to eagerness, earnestness, diligence, or zeal.

The word “fervent” is translated from the Greek word dzeontes, which literally means “to be hot.” However, it means more than just being overly warm. In reference to liquids, this word means “to boil” and with reference to metal objects it means “to glow.”

The word translated “serving” is douleuontes, which comes from the noun “doulos” meaning “a slave who has been purchased by, and therefore completely subservient to the will of, his or her master.”

Meaning Explained

Paul continues his admonition of how we ought to behave in this Christian life. In this verse there are three declarations. Literally he says, “in speed not slow, in the spirit being fervent, in the Lord being a slave.” In the first of these, Paul is telling us that whatever we choose to do, it should be done earnestly, not lazily. In other words, whatever you apply yourself to, you should do it the best you can. It should be done diligently and faithfully, as if Christ were there observing you.

In the second part of this verse, Paul tells us that we should be fervent in spirit. Whereas the first part of this verse deals with the physical part of our being, this expression refers to the spiritual part of our being. In other words, Paul is telling us that our spiritual life and effort should be fervent. That is, we should be “on fire” for the Lord.

In his evaluation of the church of Laodicea, in the 3^rd chapter of the book of the Revelation, our Lord says this:

"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16)

Clearly He was not pleased with the church that was merely lukewarm, and I believe that is a warning to all Christians today. We should not simply be going through the motions in our Christian walk. God wants hot, on-fire followers, not average, lukewarm followers.

The third part of this verse is actually a continuance of the second part. Not only are we to be hot in our spiritual life, it is to be manifested in our service to the Lord. We have been bought with the precious blood of Christ and are no longer free. We are the purchased slaves of God. Therefore, we should be serving Him, not ourselves.

Application

Let me ask you a real soul-searching question. Who are you really living your life for? Are you your own master, or are you completely submitted to the one who bought you with the precious blood of Christ?

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Peter 1:12 – Heavenly Observation

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Will

It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels long to look into.

Truth to Learn

Angels are watching us to learn about salvation.

Behind the Words

The words “they were … serving” are translated from the Greek verb diakoneō, which means “to serve” or “to wait on” just as a waiter does at a restaurant. It is the word from which we get our English word deacon; a position of servanthood within the church. The verb is expressed here in the imperfect tense indicating past, ongoing action.

At the end of this verse, the word “long” is from the Greek verb epithumeō, meaning “extremely strong desire.” It is the word used of the prodigal son’s desire to satisfy his hunger with the husks in Luke 15:16 and of the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes in 1 John 2:16.

The word translated “to look” is the Greek verb parakuptō, meaning “to bend down” or “to stoop down” or “to peer into.” The implication here, as with the prophets, is that the angels are intently looking into these things. James uses this same word in James 1:25, “but whoever looks intently into the perfect law of liberty …” and it also is used of Peter himself in Luke 24:12 when he had arrived at the empty tomb and stooped down looking in to see the grave clothes.

Meaning Explained

The purpose of Peter’s message in these verses is to impress upon those to whom he was writing in the 1^st century (and to us who read these words today) not only the value of the message contained in the scriptures, but also our very privileged position in being able to understand what was written in a way that saints of old were not permitted. The prophets of the Old Testament searched with effort for the true meaning of the message, which was inspired by the Holy Spirit, in order to understand the things of the Messiah and this salvation that we have. Now Peter tells us that the angelic beings have an intense desire to know more about these things as well.

An angel cannot experience salvation as we can. Each angelic being is a separate creation and is responsible to God for his own actions. It is because of the procreation of mankind from a single created being that Christ was able to atone for the sins of Adam’s entire race. Since angels can’t experience salvation themselves, they have to understand it by studying those of us who are experiencing it.

So, the next time you feel like someone is watching you (other than the omnipresent God we serve) it may well be that it is an angel, trying to better understand more about the salvation so freely offered to us, even though we don’t deserve it.

Application

Let’s give praise to God for our salvation, and let’s be a witness of His grace to those around us who we can see, as well as to those who we can’t see. Be a witness to an angel today!

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 6:7 – Give Your Best!

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Will

serving with goodwill, as to the Lord, and not to men,

Truth to Learn

God gave us His best, so we should give Him our best.

Behind the Words

“serving” is translated from the Greek verb douleuō, which is derived from doulos (a bond servant or slave). Douleuō means “to be subject to and perform service for a master.” The verb is expressed here as a participle in the present tense, indicating continual action in the present.

The word “with” is from the Greek preposition meta, which indicates accompaniment. It is different than the Greek preposition sun, which implies “union with” or “integrated with.” Meta means “in the midst of, among, or along with.”

Eunoia is the Greek word translated “goodwill.” It is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and a form of nous, referring to “the mind and its thoughts or feelings.” Therefore, we see that eunoia literally means “good thoughts” or “good feelings.” In the New Testament, eunoia refers to the actions which result from good thoughts; that is, benevolence or goodwill.

“Lord” is from kurios. We saw in verse five that this refers to “a person who is in a position of authority over you.” When accompanied by the definite article as it is here, it is a reference to “the Lord,” that is to God, who is our Lord and our Master.

Meaning Explained

Paul is in the middle of teaching us how we are to behave at work. Nearly all of us have a boss, and even those of us who work for ourselves recognize that our customers are like a boss. A fortunate few of us have a boss whom we really like, but many of us have a boss that we don’t like or that is difficult to work for.

Paul makes no distinction between good and bad bosses, and Peter, in 1Peter 2:18, says we are to be submissive no matter what kind of boss he or she is. In yesterday’s verse we were instructed regarding how not to do our jobs. We are not to perform our work just to give the appearance that we are doing well, and we are not to do our job just to please someone (like our boss).

On the surface this seems a bit contradictory; if we aren’t selfishly doing our job just for appearance sake and we aren’t doing our job just to please our boss or someone else, then who are we doing it for? Today’s verse gives us the answer. We are to perform our job as if we were working directly for our Lord God.

In Exodus 35:35, Daniel 1:17, and Daniel 9:22, we see that God is the one who bestows abilities on us. Couple this with James 1:17 and we see that any gift, talent, or ability we have is a gift from God. Therefore, we should use the talents He has given us to the best of our ability as before Him and unto Him. And, Paul specifically tells us here that we are to do our jobs with good thoughts and with a servant’s heart.

Application

As God’s children we are also God’s servants (bond slaves). We have been bought with the blood of Christ; He has purchased us and given us specific gifts and abilities. For these reasons, and in gratitude for all that He has done for us, we should perform whatever task we undertake as if we were doing it directly for Him. We need to give Him the best we have. After all, He gave His best for us, didn’t He?

In God's service, for His glory,