Service > Control

There is power in the blood of the Lamb to save, to serve, and to love, but not for control. The greatest serve all. Christians were so called by the world around them because their actions were identified with Jesus Christ—hospitality, love for the poor, service to their neighbors, and love for each other. Christ was in them. If people, whoever they claim to be, seek power to control the kingdoms of the world, why should they be called Christian?

“My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”

—Jesus the Christ

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household…”

— Paul the Apostle

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the

cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

—Paul the Apostle

“For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.”

—Author of Hebrews speaking of Abraham

Daniel, one of the most righteous people ever known to the world, was a great servant of it. By his service he had great power and influence. Though Daniel’s earthly king fell to insanity, Daniel preserved the kingdom for him. He handed it back intact after caring for it for seven years. Never once did he use his position for his own advantage, to impose his own preferences or even his own convictions. As a captive he was forced to learn religions not his own, and serve wicked kings alongside wicked servants. He did not seek to change the kings hearts or the hearts of the people through the power of control, but by the power of service. His faith became contagious, and the earthly kings often turned to worship the God of Daniel. The people of the land, more than once, heard of the great, powerful, and faithful God of Daniel. The context of Daniel’s testimony was his humble service. He knew he was serving the one true heavenly King of Kings.

Though perfect disciples of Christ see opportunity and the promise of position in this kingdom of dust, they laugh, for what is it to be king of the dead but a curse? All becomes dust in the hand reaching for control, but the hand reaching out to help, to serve, to save, to heal, to love, that is the very hand of Christ. Just as Paul, The Apostle, told the Philippians, although actually being God himself, Jesus did not use his God-power for his own advantage. Instead, he made himself the servant of servants.

                         —reh

   “Who, being in very nature[a] God,

      did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

   7 rather, he made himself nothing

      by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,

      being made in human likeness.

   8 And being found in appearance as a man,

      he humbled himself

      by becoming obedient to death—

          even death on a cross!”

                                               —  Philippians 2:7-8