Servant worms ∙

Servant worms ∙

But I am a worm and not a man, a reproach of men and despised by the people. – Psalms 22:6

Isaiah 41:14 Though you are a lowly worm, O Jacob, don’t be afraid, people of Israel, for I will help you. I am the LORD, your Redeemer. I am the Holy One of Israel.’

Isaiah 44:21-22

 21 “Remember O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. I, the LORD, made you, and I will not forget you.

 22 I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.”

Service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served. But all other pleasures and possessions pale into nothingness before service, which is rendered in a spirit of joy (Mahatma Gandhi).

Being a servant is not shameful or degrading. Instead, it is an honor. The greater the master, the greater the honor. The Father children of the King into His service. Those who become His servants respond to the Father’s call and willingly commit to serve. Leaders and prophets who were called the Servants of God freely and eagerly served the Father. Among them was Moses (Numbers 12:7), David (2 Samuel 3:18), Paul (Romans 1:1), James (James 1:1), the prophets (Jeremiah 7:25), and the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ (Isaiah 42:1).

On the other hand, Worms are among the lowest of the low. Many are actually lower than dirt. In the natural world, numerous insect larvae are called worms. Worms are insignificant and weak. We are a fallen people living in a fallen world. In ourselves alone, we are mere worms. Through the Father’s call and grace, mere worms become servants. It was prophesied that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Father’s greatest servant, would be likened to a worm (Psalms 22:6).

As servants of the King, we are always before the Father’s heart and mind. He is actively involved with our lives, actualizing the details of His dream for us. To be one of the Father’s servants has one prerequisite, forgiveness for our sins. When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, that requirement is met. We start with a clean slate and can respond to the Father’s call for service with an undivided heart.

As we walk with Him through life, service requires consistent, positive responsiveness to the Father’s leading and submission to His plan. When we fail, and sadly we will, we simply return to the Father’s provision for our sins. We are again forgiven, cleansed, and start with a clean slate (1 John 1:9).

REFLECT & PRAY

“Hell is the highest reward that the devil can offer you for being a servant of his” (Billy Sunday).

Father, although I am a mere worm, I am Your worm redeemed and forgiven. Encourage me to serve You with a whole heart.

INSIGHT

John 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

We are children of the King. As His children, we have a wonderful new relationship with Him. The Father will never forget us. He always remembers us and acts in our best interest. The real danger is that we will forget Him and what He has done for us.

When we desire to be one of the Father’s servants, how do we make this happen? It is only natural to think that we have to earn the right to be His servants. We have to try harder and do better. And if we do it hard enough and long enough, we will make it. In the Father’s kingdom, nothing could be further from the truth.

The Father asks only one thing of us. It makes all difference in the world. He asks us to remember. Remember what? Remember all the things that He has already done for us.

The Hebrew word translated as remember is zakar. The name of Zechariah, the prophet, is derived from this verb. Zechariah’s name literally means the Lord remembers. Zakar means to remember, think of, recall, be mindful of, and give attention or consideration to, usually affecting present feeling, thought, or action.

To remember Zion is to be loyal and devoted to the Father’s special city and grasp and value all it stands for (Psalms 137:6). For people, it suggests reflection, particularly on the past. Such reflection may elicit initial relief or regret. Once we work through yet, remembering results in appreciation and commitment.

The Father is all-knowing, ever-conscious, and forgets nothing. So when the Bible speaks of God remembering something, it signifies He is turning His attention to a matter and preparing to take action.

Genesis 8:1 God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided.

When the Father calls us to service, He wants us to respond out of a grateful heart for all He has done for us. Our motivation is love. We desire to somehow give back to Him what He has abundantly given to us. We sense that we have a debt that can never be repaid.

But in fact, the Father’s gifts cost us nothing! There is no debt to be paid. He paid it all Himself. That is the essence of redemption. The price has been paid in full through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Father did this for us because we could not do it for ourselves. We were helpless and powerless. Eternal redemption and forgiveness are the Father’s free, gracious gift to anyone who receives them.

Colossians 2:13-14

 13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.

 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.

Remembering, calling to mind, reflecting, and being thankful, have a myriad of positive results in our spirits, souls, and hearts. Remembering the Father’s laws generates encouragement (Psalms 119:52). Remembering the significance and importance of His name engenders prayerful meditation (Psalms 119:55). Remembering the greatness and majesty of our eternal King provides a potent antidote for fear (Nehemiah 4:14) (Tozer).

The individual who has the Father as their treasure has all things in One. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, their enjoyment will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness. Having the Source of all things, he has in One all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight (Tozer).

Sin is always bad. The Father never takes it lightly. The Father prepared the plan of redemption to deal with sin and forgiveness before the foundation of the earth was established. His eternal plan of redemption was carried out through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross and His subsequent resurrection and ascension to the right hand on high.

Joshua 24:15 But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve . . .. But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.”

The choice laid out here for Israel was a breathtaking one. The language about choice is not found elsewhere in the Old Testament. Usually, God was the one who did the choosing . . . But now, Israel was being asked to choose its loyalties . . . The Israelites were being asked . . . To embrace this one God and, by doing so, to reject all others. Joshua laid out for Israel the choice, but he did not threaten them or try to coerce them.” (Howard).

Whom will you serve?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 9-06-2