“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:1-3 (ESV) Through the experience of surviving a Jet Ski accident at age sixteen, God called me to preach. My entire life was redirected. I had always dreamed of becoming an architect to design and build great buildings. God had a different plan for my life. He refocused my life on building lives for eternity. I had the joy of being an interim pastor the summer before I entered college. My first business card had a tag line which stated, “Serving the Lord with gladness.” My mother and mamaw modeled the value of serving the Lord through the local church my entire life. My mother played the piano and my mamaw played the organ. My junior year in college, I met Tonya and we got married a year and a half later. Tonya has faithfully modeled the value of serving the Lord with gladness through the local church. Our desire is to model that consistently before our children. “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 (ESV) Where do you serve? How are you exercising the spiritual gifts God has given you? God has saved you so that you can serve Him with gladness. He made you and you are His. Riding HIS Wave, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Category: Serve
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Choose to Serve
“‘Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.’” John 12:25-26 (ESV) Why did you wake up this morning? What are you giving your life to today? Who are you living for? God is working all things together for His glory and for your good. Today matters! God desires to conform you into the image of Christ. Christlikeness does not come without your willingness to fully surrender your life to the Holy Spirit’s control. As you choose to lose your life, the life of Christ becomes more evident in you. Consider embracing the attitude of servitude. Allow Jesus to live His life in you and through you. There’s room only for one to take the reins to your life. Will you give Jesus His rightful place in your life? You cannot live the life God has for you apart from Christ in you. Even on your best day, you will come up short of God’s perfection. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Gal. 2:20 (ESV) “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Col. 1:27 (ESV) Live by faith in the Son of God. Christ is in you and He is the hope of glory. Surrender to the Lordship of Christ and continue to follow His lead. Victory in this life comes through daily surrender to the One who gave His life for you. Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his;we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:1-3 (ESV) Through the experience of surviving a Jet Ski accident at age sixteen, God called me to preach. My entire life was redirected. I had always dreamed of becoming an architect to design and build great buildings. God had a different plan for my life. He refocused my life on building lives for eternity. I had the joy of being an interim pastor the summer before I entered college. My first business card had a tag line which stated, “Serving the Lord with gladness.” My mother and mamaw modeled the value of serving the Lord through the local church my entire life. My mother played the piano and my mamaw played the organ. My junior year in college, I met Tonya and we got married a year and a half later. Tonya has faithfully modeled the value of serving the Lord with gladness through the local church. Our desire is to model that consistently before our children. “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 (ESV) Where do you serve? How are you exercising the spiritual gifts God has given you? God has saved you so that you can serve Him with gladness. He made you and you are His. Chronological Bible Reading Plan: (Day 126: Psalms 89, 96, 100 – 101, 105, 132) Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
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Choose to Serve
“’The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.’“ John 12:25-26 (NIV) Why did you wake up this morning? What are you giving your life to today? Who are you living for? God is working all things together for His glory and for your good. Today matters! God desires to conform you into the image of Christ. Christlikeness does not come without your willingness to fully surrender your life to the Holy Spirit’s control. As you choose to lose your life, the life of Christ becomes more evident in you. Consider embracing the attitude of servitude. Allow Jesus to live His life in you and through you. There’s room only for one to take the reins to your life. Will you give Jesus His rightful place in your life? You cannot live the life God has for you apart from Christ in you. Even on your best day, you will come up short of God’s perfection. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Gal 2:20 (NIV) “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Col 1:27 (NIV) Live by faith in the Son of God. Christ is in you and He is the hope of glory. Surrender to the Lordship of Christ and continue to follow His lead. Victory in this life comes through daily surrender to the One who gave His life for you. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Eph 4:11-13 (NIV) You are in the process of becoming. God is building you, growing you, developing you, and equipping you. God is placing people in your path to help you in the maturation process. Have you positioned yourself in an environment where you consistently sit under the preaching and teaching of a godly pastor-teacher? Are you currently being equipped for service? It is important that you shadow a godly man or woman who faithfully exercises his or her spiritual gifts. Observe their lifestyle and take note of how they walk with God and how they serve to benefit others. You may want to consider taking a spiritual gift inventory in order to discover the spiritual gifts God has given you. A vital component to being equipped is that of participating in ministry opportunities that enable you to develop the spiritual gifts you have discovered. God’s desire is for you to be built up within the body of Christ and to reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God. Are you becoming mature? Are you attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ? You are gifted to serve! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Gifted To Serve (4)
“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:4-5 (NIV) You are unique. God has formed you and fashioned you for His glory. You were created by God to fulfill His purposes in your generation. Part of His plan for your life includes you becoming part of the body of Christ through a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Your expression of that relationship takes place in a local church setting with fellow believers. You become a vital member of the body of Christ with the privilege and responsibility of serving in and through the local church. You complete the body of Christ in that local church by fulfilling the function God has gifted you for. Each member of that local body of believers adds value to the redemptive purposes of God through faithfully employing the spiritual gifts given by God. Though diverse by design, the local expression of the body of Christ is unified as each one fulfills his or her function within the body. The beauty of the local church is that you belong to all the other members. You are linked to other believers within that local expression of the body of Christ. You are valuable and you are vital to the effective functioning of the church. God has gifted you to serve alongside other members of the body. You belong because you believe in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. You matter to God and you matter to the local church. Are you currently serving faithfully in the ministry of your local church? Are you using the spiritual gifts God has given you in service to Him and to others? If not, why not? If so, how so? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Gifted To Serve (3)
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” 1 Cor 12:7 (NIV) God gifts you to serve others. The spiritual gifts you receive at salvation give evidence to the reality of the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 6:19). The Holy Spirit expresses Himself to the body of Christ through spiritual gifts. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit is to benefit the body of Christ. God values unity. This unity is displayed relationally within the Trinity. God desires that you display the same unity within the body of Christ as you serve to benefit others by employing the spiritual gifts you have received. Why does God manifest the Holy Spirit through the spiritual gifts? God does this for the common good of the body of Christ. You have been given spiritual gifts for the common good of those within the family of God. The local expression of the body of Christ, God’s family, is the local church. God desires that you serve to benefit others by exercising your spiritual gifts through the life of your local church. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Gifted To Serve (2)
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.” 1 Cor 12:4-6 (NIV) The Trinity is working for your productivity within the body. You will notice that there are different kinds of gifts, different kinds of service, and different kinds of working. That’s a reality of the diversity within the body of Christ. Then you will notice that the same Spirit, the same Lord, and the same God works all of these in all of the members of the body of Christ. That’s a reality of the unity within the body. Your productivity within the body is determined by the activity of the Trinity through your life. Are you willing to allow God to accomplish His plan in you and through you? God does not want you to operate in isolation from the body of Christ. You are a vital part of the body and every part is necessary to accomplish God’s kingdom agenda. What is the level of your receptivity to God’s activity? You are not expected to produce for God. God wants to produce through you. You are not expected to work for God. God wants to work through you. So, it’s not about you. It’s all about God and His activity through your life fully yielded and fully devoted to His activity. What adjustments do you need to make in your life right now in order for God to have His way? What is inhibiting the activity of the Trinity in and through your life? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Gifted To Serve (1)
“Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.” 1 Cor 12:1 (NIV) What’s in your toolbox? You need tools to do life and to meet needs. Repairs around the house require certain tools. Whenever you are in need of a pair of pliers, it seems that a screwdriver just won’t do. Specific tools help us in various facets of life in the physical realm. Within the body of Christ, God has equipped us for service. The tools God gives us are spiritual gifts. We receive these gifts at the moment of our conversion experience. When we turned from our sin and to Christ alone for salvation, we instantaneously received the Person of the Holy Spirit. When He came to indwell us, the Holy Spirit brought spiritual gifts to impart to us in our new life in Christ. You cannot serve God and fulfill His mission apart from His enabling. God equips us for service with specific spiritual gifts for us to employ. God is the giver of the spiritual gifts. It is our job to discover the spiritual gifts God has given us and to utilize them in service to Him. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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It’s Your Serve (7)
“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” Gal 5:13 (NIV) You are free! You have the freedom to serve and the freedom to choose not to serve. The freedom is yours to turn inward and become self-focused and self-absorbed. However, the freedom is yours also to turn outward and become other-focused. You can embrace the freedom you have in Christ and unleash that freedom to serve God and to serve to benefit others. Freedom can be abused. You can embrace your freedom to feed your flesh. As you feed the cravings of your sinful nature, your fleshly appetite will increase. Indulgence is a natural byproduct of our fallen nature. It is possible to drift into selfishness and self worship. Idolatry is simply the perversion of freedom. What if you captured your freedom in Christ like a sail capturing the wind in order to serve one another? Your mobility and your maneuverability for the Lord would be catalytic. Operating in the freedom that you have in Christ removes the curtain of darkness over the horizon. You have been set free by the shed blood of Jesus to pursue God and to participate in His Kingdom agenda. Serve one another in love. Impart to others the same unconditional love you have graciously received from God in Christ. It’s your serve! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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It’s Your Serve (6)
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:24-25 (NIV) What motivates you to serve God? What motivates you to serve to benefit others? It’s not our natural proclivity to serve. Serving is the result of an abiding relationship with Jesus. Selfishness flows like a river in the human race. Selflessness flows from the life of Christ through a believer fully yielded to Christ. “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” Romans 7:6 (NIV) “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” Heb 9:14 (NIV) Jesus took the initiative to pay the penalty for our sins so that we could die to sin and live for righteousness. As sheep, we follow our Shepherd’s lead. Jesus was willing to serve to benefit us immediately and eternally. We have been released from the law that once bound us in order to serve in the way of the Spirit. We have been empowered to live the Christ-centered life by the Indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus has provided the way for us to serve the living God! What is keeping you from serving God with full surrender and absolute devotion? What is keeping you from serving to benefit others in power of the Holy Spirit? It’s your serve! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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It’s Your Serve (5)
“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:15 (NIV) God has called you to serve. You were rescued by God and reconciled to God in order to serve God by serving to benefit others. Your life purpose on the earth is to be Jesus beginning in your Jerusalem. Jesus has demonstrated what a life yielded to God’s purpose looks like. Jesus, though He was the master, chose to become the servant and wash His disciples’ feet. The lowly task of touching and washing dirty feet was the portrait of servitude exhibited by Jesus. As a follower of Jesus Christ, you are not asked to do anything Jesus has not already done. To learn how to love God and how to love people, simply examine the life of Christ. To learn how to serve God and how to serve people, fasten your focus on Jesus. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb 12:2 (NIV) “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” 1 Peter 2:21 (NIV) Do as Jesus has done for you. Serve others as Jesus has served you by giving His life for you. Benefit others as Jesus has benefited you by bringing you into a right relationship with God. It’s your serve! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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It’s Your Serve (4)
“When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.” Acts 9:26-28 (NIV) Imagine the New Testament without Barnabas. What if Barnabas was unwilling to step up and stand in the gap for Saul (Paul)? What if Paul would not have been accepted by the apostles in the church at Jerusalem? Barnabas chose to serve Paul by befriending him and establishing him within the church at Jerusalem. As a result, Paul went on three missionary journeys and gave birth to many churches. Because Barnabas was willing to serve to benefit others, Paul was able to write what is now half of our New Testament. Remove Barnabas and we lose Paul. If we lose Paul, we lose half of the New Testament. Do you think that Barnabas made an eternal impact by serving to benefit others? What a wonderful example of serving! Barnabas is such a great example of what God can do with a person who is willing to serve to benefit others. Live to be a blessing! Choose to serve to benefit others! It’s your serve! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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It’s Your Serve (3)
“Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.” Acts 4:36-37 (NIV) We are introduced to Barnabas in the flow of the movement of God known as the Jerusalem church. There were no needy people among the flock because the church family willingly sold some of their houses and land and brought the proceeds to the apostles for distribution. Barnabas embraced the “others-first” lifestyle. He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles. His real name was Joseph, but the apostles called him Barnabas. The name Barnabas means Son of Encouragement. Barnabas lived in such a way as to add value to the lives of others. He was the kind of believer who would draw out the best in others. “The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.” Prov 20:5 (NIV) Are you serving to benefit others? What if you sought to draw out the best in others? Think about the people God has placed in your sphere of influence. Think about your family, your friends, and your frequent acquaintances. What if you chose to serve to benefit them? Live in such a way as to add value to others. It’s your serve! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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It’s Your Serve (2)
Consumerism dominates our cultural landscape. We easily slide into a “what have you done for me lately” mindset. In the natural, being served by others has instant appeal. We crave being served. Scratch my back and then I will let you scratch my back again. In God’s kingdom economy, the focus shifts from selfishness to selflessness. As God’s kingdom citizens, we are to move away from a “me-first” mentality in order to embrace the “others-first” lifestyle. “‘For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’” Mark 10:45 (NIV) Jesus consistently lived the “others-first” lifestyle. As the Son of God, He had every right to be served, yet He chose to serve to benefit others. Jesus is our model to follow. Jesus is the ultimate example for us to emulate. We will never find a more accurate portrait of servitude than the One who gave His life for us. Who will benefit from your life today? Ask God to elevate your sensitivity to each opportunity to serve to benefit others. It’s your serve! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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It’s Your Serve (1)
The situation looked bleak as the disciples tried to figure out a way to feed the five thousand men. When you add in the women and children, the need to feed triples in number. Philip quickly responded to Jesus that it would take more than eight months’ wages to provide each person with a bite. Then Andrew brings a little boy with a sack lunch to Jesus. “Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’” John 6:8-9 (NIV). We do not know the boy’s name, but we know something about his heart. This little boy was willing to serve to benefit others. He was willing to give up his lunch so that others could eat. Jesus maximized this little boy’s generosity and multiplied the blessing to meet all the needs. Not only did the little boy get to eat, but the multitudes ate as much as they wanted. Miraculously, the leftovers filled twelve baskets (John 6:13). What if we chose to serve to benefit others? How would Jesus use us to spread His love if we consistently put the needs of others before our own? It’s your serve! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“‘The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.’” John 12:25-26 (NIV) Victory comes through surrender. Why did you wake up this morning? What are you giving your life to today? Who are you living for? God is working all things together for His glory and for your good. Today matters! God desires to conform you into the image of Christ. Christlikeness does not come without your willingness to fully surrender your life to the Holy Spirit’s control. As you choose to lose your life, the life of Christ becomes more evident in you. Consider embracing the attitude of servitude. Allow Jesus to live His life in you and through you. There’s room only for one to take the reigns to your life. Will you give Jesus His rightful place in your life? You cannot live the life God has for you apart from Christ in you. Even on your best day, you will come up short of God’s perfection. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Gal 2:20 (NIV) “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Col 1:27 (NIV) Live by faith in the Son of God. Christ is in you and He is the hope of glory. Surrender to the Lordship of Christ and continue to follow His lead. Victory in this life comes through daily surrender to the One who gave His life for you. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia–your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead–Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” 1 Thess 1:8-10 (NIV) Martin Luther King, Jr., was a man used of God as a pastor and civil rights leader to bring unity in the midst of diversity in America. He poetically and eloquently magnified the value God places on human beings. Dr. King mobilized our nation to look beyond the color of our skin and to embrace the content of our character. The movement of God is discernable when people turn to God from idols. An idol is anything that takes the place of God in your life. When people turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God, it’s called a movement of God. In my lifetime, I have seen people who were far from God at one point and then witness the redemptive activity of God bring them to full surrender to the Lordship of Christ. You just cannot explain that in human terms. When a life is transformed by God, He deserves all the glory. Have you turned to God from idols? Are you serving the living and true God? Are you waiting for and anticipating the return of Jesus? Are you ready to join God in His redemptive activity to bring others into a saving relationship with Jesus? Join the movement of God! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor