Tag: servant

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Delighting in Wondrous Things

A white-washed church with a blue top 
Psalm 119:18 (ESV)—Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

A paved path of cobblestones and marble winds through the white-washed buildings in Fira. The Aegean blue rooftops and yellow and red bougainvillea add pops of color to the white landscape. Shop owners greet passersby while setting up displays of scarves, clothing, and jewelry, and restaurant managers beckon the tourists to eat at their establishments. The photo-perfect Greek experience spills before the tourist’s eyes while they wander the town and gaze toward Oia in the distance.

This characteristic picture of Greece, all white-washed buildings and blue rooftops, is pretty but inadequate to represent the whole country. There is more than picturesque Santorini when we open our travel schedule to the whole country: olive groves in the countryside, the colorful medieval village of Nafplio, rock formations topped with monasteries in Meteora, not to mention Athens.

As in travel, opening our eyes to the “wondrous things” helps us discover an all-powerful God who wants his servants to find delight in obeying his Word. The psalmist in Psalm 119 expressed desire to keep God’s word and counted himself as insufficient to see the wondrous things in God’s law without God’s guidance.

Like the psalmist, we are inadequate to understand God’s statutes without his sufficiency. God teaches us Truth to ingrain in us a longing to obey his perfect Word. In this, our obedient relationship, God reveals the wondrous things of his law—a generous Father who wants us to see his sufficiency.

Without God, the wondrous things of his law remain hidden. To see these Truths and delight in his law, we can admit our inadequacy to God and then commit to studying his Word. Our study may include praying for understanding before and after we read his words, studying the context of scripture, and reading commentaries to clarify his messages. This deeper learning strengthens our relationship with God, who shows goodness to his obedient servants.

A cafe in Nafplio with a pink exterior and bougainvillea hanging against the wall
Nafplio
A cityscape of Athens from on top of a hill, looking out to sea
Athens
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Writing in Service of God

I work with fellow writers in God's service

Last weekend, I attended She Speaks 2024 online. One big lesson I learned came not only from the many wonderful speakers but also from the attendees.

Success scares us.

My thoughts tread along a steep, rocky path of fear: If I become published, do I have to live in the spotlight of social media rather than in my cozy wallflower home? What if I botch the message I want to share? What if God calls me to reveal something deeply personal?

For these questions, I found encouragement in 1 Corinthians 3 about our work as God’s servants. First and foremost…

  1. we are all servants of God (v. 5). We belong to a community of like-minded believers, writers wanting to nurture our readers with God’s truth, a truth we can plant alone but not nurture alone. As part of God’s ministry team…
  2. we have built-in writing support (v. 6). This team supports us in our writing and we support their writing as well (through critique groups, through book launch teams, on social media, through prayer, etc.). By tending to our own stories as well as contributing to others’ writing journeys…
  3. we work together in God’s service (v. 9). Our writing offers fields of nourishment, for example, a soldier might write a book of their experiences with PTSD that provides spiritual nourishment for other soldiers. Our writing offers a shelter of understanding, for example, a blogger whom God has healed from alcoholism might build a shelter for an alcoholic seeking refuge from temptation. Our writing ministry combined with others’ expands our Kingdom reach.

When we write in fear of success, our work may stay merely a seed in the ground. And seeds that stay in the ground end up rotting. Instead, let’s call upon our fellow workers to help us build stories on the foundation of Christ. Let’s come together in his name to grow bountiful fields and to build useful buildings. Let’s turn the spotlight from us to God, whose love helps us grow through our community and uses our writing as part of his ministry.

1 Corinthians 3:9 (ESV)—For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.
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Words of Affirmation: Being God’s Vessel

An affirmation: "I am God's vessel created for his purpose"

Today, I read a devotional on Mary, the mother of Jesus. Her words to the angel resounded in me: “I am the servant of the Lord” (Luke 1:38 ESV). God chose Mary for the purpose of carrying and birthing baby Jesus, and she responded with certainty that God chose her.

I also recently read the story of Gideon. His response was not as instant as Mary’s. Instead he asked the angel speaking to him, “Why then has all this happened to us?” (Judges 6:13 ESV). The response: “Do I not send you?” (Judges 6:14 ESV). Clearly, God has a purpose and a chosen one for this purpose.

For writers and editors, we are blessed to be God’s vessels. God chose us to shape words and reach if not the masses then one person. As you write this coming week, remember words touch lives and God chose you to write.