The Servant: April 2014
Table of Contents
The Servant
To an obedient heart, the servant’s question is not, What am I doing? or, Where am I going? It is simply, Am I doing the will of my Lord? We have to always be on our guard against a spirit of self-will and self-pleasing, which is never so dangerous as when it clothes itself in the garb of religious service and so-called work. We as Christians are very apt to jostle one another; indeed, we are sure to do so if we do not each one pursue his own divinely appointed line of work. If the Lord has made one man an evangelist, another a teacher, another a pastor, and another an exhorter, how is the work to go on? Surely it is not by the evangelist trying to teach and the teacher to exhort, or one who is not fitted for either trying to do both. It is not a question of taking upon us much or little, but of doing our appointed work and filling our appointed places. It is by the effectual working of all the members, according to the measure of every part, that the edification of the whole body is promoted. If I allow my work to get between my heart and the Master, it will be little worth. We can only effectually serve Christ as we are enjoying Him, nor is there anyone who can minister Christ with unction, freshness and power to others if he be not feeding upon Christ in the secret of his own soul.
The Servant
Continued From
“The Theme of the Issue”
Nothing can be more worthless than seeking a place for oneself. It is sure to end in disappointment and confusion. One who comes forward much in public will need that chastened spirit, that matured judgment, that subdued and mortified mind, that broken will, and that mellow tone which are the sure and beautiful result of God’s secret discipline. It will generally be found that those who take a prominent place without more or less of the above moral qualifications will, sooner or later, break down.
The Lord Jesus never once stopped to inquire how any act or circumstance would affect Himself.
It is impossible that a man full of himself can be a vessel of the Holy Spirit. Such a one must first be emptied of himself, and then the Spirit can use him.
If only we are self-emptied, our every act may emit a sweet odor to God. The smallest as well as the greatest services may, by the power of the Holy Spirit, present the fragrance of Christ. The paying of a visit, the writing of a letter, the public ministry of the Word, giving a cup of cold water to a disciple, giving money to the poor, yes, the commonplace acts of eating and drinking — all may emit the sweet perfume of the name and grace of Jesus.
God has had all His servants very much alone with Himself, both before and after their entrance upon their public work, nor will anyone ever get on without this. The absence of secret training and discipline will, necessarily, leave us barren, superficial and theoretical. A man who ventures forth upon a public career before he has duly weighed himself in the balances of the sanctuary or measured himself in the presence of God is like a ship putting out to sea without the proper ballast; he will doubtless overturn with the first stiff breeze. A man who is always doing will be apt to do too much.
The man who will present Christ to others must be occupied with Christ for himself.
God takes up the weakest instruments to accomplish His mightiest ends.
The man who is merely feeding on the fruits of his ministry, who delights in the gratification which it affords or the attention and interest which it commands, is like a mere pipe conveying waters to others and retaining only rust itself. In order to act for God outside, I should be with Him inside.
Be it remembered that the man who will speak on God’s behalf of death and judgment, life and salvation, must, before he does so, enter into the practical power of these things in his own soul.
It frequently happens that the very person whose presence we deem essential to our progress and success afterward proves a source of deepest sorrow to our hearts.
The messenger of God should always remember whose message he bears.
From Food for the Desert
The Servant’s Character and Qualifications
The character of and qualifications for service are the same in all dispensations. The work to be done may vary, but, as Exodus 31 plainly shows, the service of Bezaleel and Aholiab proceeded upon the same lines as that of the Apostle Paul. Both alike indeed were engaged with the house of God; if Bezaleel and Aholiab were not exactly builders in the same sense as the Apostle, yet they were also occupied with God’s dwelling-place here upon earth. It is worthwhile to consider how these godly men in the wilderness were fitted for the work to which God called them in connection with His sanctuary. In a day of abounding activity, when often the Lord’s service is entered upon with a light heart and perhaps without due reflection on its seriousness and gravity, it is important to understand what God’s thoughts are concerning those whom He designates for His service and work.
The Call
In the first place, Bezaleel received a divine call: “See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri.” In like manner Paul speaks: “When it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen.” It was impossible, therefore, for them to doubt the origin or the nature of their service. We admit that calls of this character were special and extraordinary, but every servant now must be the subject of a divine call as distinct as these pattern servants. True, it will be an inward one — a secret between the Lord and the soul — but it will not be any the less efficacious. It would be presumptuous to embark upon any service without the overwhelming conviction that we had been called to it by the Lord.
Qualification
Following the call we find the qualification: “I have filled him,” says the Lord, “with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship” (Ex. 31:3). In a similar way we find that the Lord Jesus qualified His disciples for their service. He established their hearts in the truth of His resurrection, and He opened their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures. He appointed them to be witnesses of what they had seen and heard, and, having told them that He would send upon them the promise of His Father, He enjoined them to tarry in the city of Jerusalem until they should be endued with power from on high (Luke 24:36-49). So it was also for their service while with Him during His earthly sojourn. If He sent them forth, He bestowed upon them the requisite “power and authority” for the execution of their mission. Their qualifications were as divinely given as their call. It is true that they were different vessels, different in character and capacity, but the Lord chose them in view of the work to which He would appoint them and gave to each “according to his several ability.” Whether it was Bezaleel and Aholiab, the twelve, or, it might be added, Paul, James, Timothy or Titus, all received their qualifications entirely from the Lord.
This is a lesson which every servant of the Lord would do well to ponder, for many who take the place of servants in Christendom seek their endowment for their work mainly from man. The result is often dependence upon human power rather than upon the energy and power of the Holy Spirit, and the issue is either rationalism or ritualism — the two great antagonistic forces which Satan employs to destroy the true character of Christianity. Those who may have taken a place outside of these corruptions are liable to the same temptations, for there is not a single evil in the great house of Christendom towards which we may not find the tendency in our own hearts. If any of us looks for power or acceptance from anything of man — from manner, learning, fervor or eloquence — or if we follow human methods of the presentation of the message given to us to deliver, we are at once off the ground of dependence upon the power of the Holy Spirit, because we are depending on that which has its source in man and natural abilities.
The Lord’s Word and Will
Two other things may be noted in connection with Bezaleel and Aholiab. They were to do what God had commanded Moses, and they were to do it according to all that He had commanded (Ex. 31:6-11). We gather from this that they were not to be choosers of their own work; they had to be absolutely at the Lord’s disposal. Second, in doing what they were commanded, they were not left to their own discretion; they were to be governed by the Word of God. These are two most important principles. There are many inducements to select our service and even the place where we serve, but the moment we admit the principle of choice, our eye is off the Lord. Even our blessed Lord, the perfect Servant that He was, took this ground when He said, “The Son can do nothing of [from] Himself, but what He seeth the Father do; for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise” (John 5:19).
Also, Bezaleel and Aholiab were under the authority of Moses, and every servant is under the authority and at the disposal of the Lord. His will is consequently our law and is expressed in His Word; it may be discerned without difficulty if we are living in His presence. It may often seem to us that the adoption of some human method in our service would add to its worth, but Scripture teaches that our true wisdom is in subjection to the will of our Lord. So these servants who were employed to make “the tabernacle, the ark of the testimony, and the mercy-seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle” were not at liberty to depart from the directions they received, even in the smallest detail. So was it also enjoined upon Joshua: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Josh. 1:8). The last chapter of Exodus abundantly teaches the same lesson. When the tabernacle was finished, it is said eight times over, “As the Lord commanded Moses.”
Summary
We see that the path of every servant is very exactly defined. The Lord distinctly calls everyone whom He wishes to employ, and of this call no servant should ever be in doubt. Second, if He calls, He bestows the requisite qualifications. On Him alone, therefore, has the servant to wait for the needed grace, wisdom and power. Independent of man, he is wholly and entirely cast upon the Lord. Third, he must have the Lord’s mind as to what he should do, and if he has not, he must sit at the Lord’s feet until he receives direction. When Mary and Martha sent the message to the Lord that Lazarus was sick, He abode two days still in the place where He was. Pressing as the call was (and even the claim of affection), He would not respond until it was the Father’s will that He should go. Adopting the same principle, our activities may indeed be limited, but what an increase in confidence in the Lord and consequent power would be gained! Fourth, the servant must be wholly governed in his work by the Lord’s Word. As the Apostle has written, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
Christian Friend, adapted
Servant Qualities
We are passing through a period which is delineated in Scripture as “perilous times” of “the last days,” and for which special instruction is needed. The rocks and shoals, with which the troubled waters of our time abound, are all divinely marked out for us in 2 Timothy, a book which faith recognizes as its special chart in days like these. The fullness and explicit nature of that revelation is most blessed, with the most full and minute directions as to how the saints are to carry themselves. Thus, while there is much failure around and confusion and evil are on the increase, the resources and provisional care of God are unfolded with a divine precision and accuracy found only in the Word of God.
The servant of the Lord stands in need of peculiar qualities at all times, but especially in these last days, as we are surrounded by a double fallacy. On the one hand, men are taking upon themselves, without divine authority, to make others servants, thereby constituting them servants of men instead of ministers of God. On the other hand, others fall into another delusion, in supposing that everyone who is a saint is by this fact a gifted servant or minister of Jesus Christ.
Surely, if saints are walking with God, He will give them something to do for Him, and in this sense all saints are servants of the Lord. However, this in no wise sets aside the fact that Christ, ascended on high into glory, gave distinct and special gifts to His church, enumerated in Ephesians 4: “He has given some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some shepherds and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints; with a view to the work of the ministry, with a view to the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-12 JND).
The Perfect Pattern
The nature of the day always indicates the needed graces, so that after the Spirit of God had foretold the storm that was then raging and would rage with greater fury after the Apostle’s departure, He also specifies in detail certain qualities which would be indispensable in the servant of the Lord under such conditions. What God is looking for in these last times is a servant in his measure after the pattern of His own Son. Hence, the qualities, or graces, by which the servant of the Lord is to be characterized, according to 2 Timothy 2, are those which shone in perfection in Him who was the perfect Servant.
First of all, he must have unhesitating courage and faithfulness — to be “strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Also he was to “endure hardness,” and not to “entangle himself with the affairs of this life.” On the one hand, he was to accept the path through the storm; on the other hand, he was to avoid everything of the nature of entanglement. We have these three things expected from the servant of the Lord and the minister of Jesus Christ. In addition, “If a man strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.” That is, he cannot obtain the prize unless he complies with the regulations. He was also to be as the husbandman, “laboring first,” that he might have the first claim to the profits of the produce of his farm. Then the first part of the exhortation is closed by that magnificent eighth verse: “Remember Jesus Christ raised from among the dead, of the seed of David, according to my glad tidings” (2 Tim. 2:8 JND). As the reward of faithful service for our blessed Master had to wait until resurrection, so we must not expect recognition down here; it may have to wait until “that day.”
The Manner and Spirit
But it is not enough to be faithful in dealing with souls; the manner and spirit of our service surely has its place. No doubt, in days of declension, the true servant must pass through many a sore exercise respecting those whom he seeks to serve. However, if a right spirit is in him, he would be found leading and instructing, instead of coercing and driving. There are too many instances of hearts broken amid the corruptions of the age, grieved and stumbled by the ungracious and unwise methods adopted towards them. The shepherd and the nurse are the similarities employed by the Holy Spirit, when he would set forth the manner of a servant’s fulfillment of his work. “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof.” Also, “The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves” (2 Tim. 2:24-25).
The Lord make His beloved saints and servants more wise, more gracious, more patient in all things, more self-denying and devoted, more uncompromising and whole-hearted in these last evil days.
W. T. Turpin, adapted
Servants First, Then Service
We are servants of God because we are sons of God; sons first, then servants. In this there is no bondage, but privilege and comfort. Yoked with the Lord Jesus, the perfect Servant, we find rest and blessing, for His yoke is easy and His burden light.
True service flows from known relationship and communion. We doubt not the divine order is peace, communion and service. Every question of conscience as to our eternal blessings must be settled, in order to have peace with God. The conscience must be purged with the blood of Christ to have no more conscience of sins. We must know Christ before we can live Christ. We must be consciously children of God before we can walk as children. Then communion with the Father and the Son can be enjoyed, and from it willing and happy service can flow.
A great deal, however, that in our day is called the service of God, when judged by the light of Scripture, is found to be not true service. How many, for instance, sincerely think they are serving the Lord in begging money from the unsaved, in order to meet the expenses incurred in carrying out missionary efforts? Now, Scripture not only enjoins us to come out from among unbelievers and to be separate, but most pointedly commends the first Christians because “they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles, for His name’s sake” (3 John 7). The fact is we need exercise of conscience over the written Word of God, in dependence on the Holy Spirit, in order to learn what the Lord’s will is as to our service. It is one thing to be engaged in service, and another to serve “acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Heb. 12:28).
Because of Love
We serve the Lord Christ, because He loved us and gave Himself for us. But if service becomes our object, instead of the Lord, we shall certainly fail and most likely break down. Who has not seen unhappy examples of this, or sorrowfully proved it in his own experience? If the eye of our heart be on our service, however scriptural, instead of the Lord, we are removed from the source of real strength and therefore will be going on in the energy of nature, instead of in the power of faith. We should “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.” We have no other strength; therefore it is written, “Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee.” All our resources are in Him. To make service our object is to be away from the Lord, and then our service will go on in mere routine and dead formality, or we will break down and give it up. The perfect Servant could say, “I have set Jehovah always before Me,” and, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work” (Psa. 16:8; John 4:34).
To Every Man His Work
It is blessedly true, however, that all believers are servants — that we all have our work given to us till He come. He gave to every man his work. He called His ten servants and delivered unto them ten pounds (to each a pound) and said unto them, “Occupy till I come.” Each member of the body of Christ has his work. “To every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ,” and the edification of the whole body depends on the faithfulness of each. We all have our work, but what the character and measure of it may be, the Lord who has given it can alone make known. To those who wait upon Him, He will do it. Having learned what the service He has appointed us is, we should then give ourselves to it with diligence, for His glory. We read of those who “addicted themselves” to their ministry, and so should we. Such know their entire dependence on the Lord, and, like the apostles, they give themselves to prayer and to their ministry. They count upon God for blessing, and they cannot be confounded. There is a definiteness of purpose and action, and they look for definite results. They cleave to the Lord and reckon upon Him.
Things New and Old, adapted
Service by Faith and Communion
Connect your service with nothing but God, not with any particular set of persons. You may be comforted by fellowship, and your heart refreshed, but to be a faithful servant you must work by your own individual faith and energy, without leaning on anyone but God. Service must always be by faith and one’s own communion with God. Even Saul could prophesy, when he was among the prophets, but David was always the same, in the cave or anywhere else. While the choicest blessings given me here are in fellowship, yet a man’s service must flow from Himself, or else there will be weakness. If I have the word of wisdom, I must use it for the saint who may seek my counsel. It is, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” But also, “Let every man prove his own work,” and then shall he have “rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.” In whatever place the grace of God leads us, there will be temptation; there is no escaping it, though we shall be helped through. In every age the blessing has been from individual agency, and the moment it has ceased to be this, it has declined into the world. It is humbling, but it makes us feel that all comes immediately from God. The tendency of association is to make us lean upon one another.
When there are great arrangements for carrying on work, there is not the recognition of this inherent blessing which tarries not for man, nor waits for the sons of men (Mic. 5:7). I do not tarry for man, if I have faith in God. I act upon the strength of that. Let a man act as the Lord leads him. The Spirit of God is not to be fettered by man.
All power arises from the direct authoritative energy of the Holy Spirit in the individual. Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13) were sent forth by the Holy Spirit, recommended to the grace of God by the church at Antioch, but they had no communication with it till they returned, and then there was the joyful concurring of love in the service that had been performed. He that had talents went and traded. Paul says, “Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood.” Where there is a desire to act, accompanied by real energy, a man will rise up and walk, but if he cannot do this, the energy is not there, and the attempt to move is only restlessness and weakness.
Love for Jesus sets one to work. I know no other way.
Selected
“He Shall Serve Him Forever”
Elsewhere in this issue, the characteristics of the true servant of the Lord are discussed, and surely these are most important. However, these characteristics are in one sense secondary, when compared with what is of supreme importance in the servant of the Lord — motivation. An elderly brother often reminded us, “If we did everything right, nothing would be right, unless the motive was right.” With the right motive, a servant with very little gift may do much for the Lord; without a right motive, the greatest gift may be misused or wasted.
We see a beautiful illustration of the right motive in the type referred to in the title of this article — an expression taken from Exodus 21:6. Here we find a Hebrew servant who had served his time for six years, and he was then entitled to go out free. But during his service, his master had given him a wife, who had borne him children. If he went out free, he must go by himself, for the wife and children belonged to the master. But there was provision for the servant to stay, and the words of Scripture are most touching and beautiful:
“If the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door; or unto the doorpost; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him forever” (Ex. 21:5-6).
Very clearly, the picture is of the Lord Jesus, who, after having spent His time in His earthly ministry, was fully entitled to go out free. But His love would not let Him do that, and we notice the order of that love. The Master is mentioned first, then the wife and children. It was love to His Father and the desire to do His will that first of all motivated that perfect Servant. Then it was love to us, those who would become His bride, and love to His children of faith in Israel (Isa. 8:18) that hindered His going out free.
He was “brought to the judges,” and the sin question was faced. He went to the cross, typified by the boring of His ear through with an awl, and suffered the judgment for sin. Now He is able to remain with His Master, His wife and His children, for the ransom has been paid.
His Service on Earth
For our purposes in this article, we want to dwell on the phrase, “He shall serve him forever.” The Lord Jesus became a man in order to serve. Thus we read, “Even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). He could say, “I am among you as he that serveth” (Luke 22:27). His ministry was always according to the Father’s will, for He said, “The Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him” (John 8:29). However, in doing the Father’s will, He also came to minister to fallen man and eventually to “give His life a ransom for many.”
His Service in Glory
More than this, His service continues in glory! In His prayer to the Father in John 17, He begins by saying, “Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee” (John 17:1). He had fully glorified His Father on earth; now He asks to be glorified, but only in order that He may continue to glorify the Father in heaven. His service as man, begun down here, would continue up there. In heaven His service is for us, but in this He continues to glorify the Father, for He reminds the Father concerning us, “Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me” (John 17:6).
His Future Service
Finally, we read in Luke 12:37, “Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.” When He brings us to that home where He is, He will make us sit down and will serve us. Such grace is beyond our understanding, yet it is there in the Word of God.
His Example for Us
All this ought to give the proper motive for any service we might do. In a world that is increasingly self-centered and self-seeking, the example of our blessed Master stands out, drawing out our hearts. If the One who “thought it not robbery to be equal with God” humbled Himself to serve, can we think ourselves above it? Can we disdain to serve that One who, having become a servant forever, will serve us in a coming eternity?
Scripture knows only one true motive for our service — love to Christ. His love enjoyed in the heart first of all makes us worshippers, and then it draws out our devotedness in service. Truly, “the love of Christ constraineth us ... that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:14-15). We may serve because of conscience, and God graciously accepts and uses this, but true service springs from a motive of love. To be sure, there is a price to be paid to engage in such service — a price that the natural heart will not pay. The Lord Jesus could tell His disciples, “Whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all” (Mark 10:43-44). It is only in looking at Calvary’s cross that we will be ready to pay the price of humility and rejection in order to serve down here. If we are to serve the Lord in this world, He says, “If any man serve Me, let him follow Me” (John 12:26). To serve the Lord is to follow a rejected Christ.
We must remember too that our time for service is limited. It is only in this life that we have the privilege of serving; when we are called home, it will be a time for reward and for eternal rest. Let us use our time well, for as another has put it, “Eternity will be appreciated only in the measure that we have rightly handled time!” I well remember a verse of a poem that my mother quoted to me when I was young, and I have never forgotten it:
“I sometimes feel the thread of life is
slender,
And soon with me the labor will be
wrought;
Then grows my heart to other hearts
more tender:
The time,
The time is short.”
Elizabeth Prentiss
(Go to the following address:
BibleTruthPublishers.com/la50254
to read the entire thirteen-stanza poem.)
W. J. Prost
A Word to Young Believers: Service and Communion
I would say in deep affection to my younger brethren in Christ who seek to serve their gracious Master in the ministry of the Word in Sunday school work, in street preaching, in tract distribution or in any other form of Christian labor, “See to it that your service is the outcome of communion with Christ.” Rivers of living water can flow only from those who go to Him and drink, and they must go continually. Be careful to allow nothing to cloud your enjoyment of divine love, and seek to realize for yourselves the exceeding preciousness of Christ, so that when you speak of Him it may be out of the fullness of a heart made abundantly happy. It is possible for the outward form of service to be sustained by the mere energy of nature, apart from communion with Christ, but then every element that makes the service acceptable to Him will be wanting. Your own souls will be enfeebled and become like withered grass.
I would further say, “Be on your guard against making service your one object.” They who do so seldom serve well. We have known earnest men and women who have fallen into this snare. They are never satisfied unless always on the move, and they think little of others who do not follow in their steps. Martha served much and found fault with one who seemed to serve less, yet Mary received the Lord’s commendation, and Martha missed it. A running to and fro with restless feet may be but the religious activity of the flesh, which fades away.
Cultivate Communion
Cultivate communion with God, be much in prayer, and spend time over the Word of God, that your own soul may be fed. How else shall you feed others? “It is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? Or saith He it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written” (1 Cor. 9:9-10). In thinking of others, and laboring for their good, God would have us feed for ourselves. If we do not, we shall soon starve our own souls, and spiritual strength will decline. We will be keepers of the vineyards of others while our own vineyards have not been kept.
You will find it a deadening habit to read the Word only to search out something for other people. Moreover, what you gather up and set before others will be mere religious information in which there will be no heavenly unction. It differs from the living ministry of the Holy Spirit, as chalk differs from cheese.
Be faithful also in little things; it may be that God will then entrust you with greater matters. I am a little afraid of those who neglect the duties of everyday life for what they think and call the work of the Lord. Do faithfully and well whatever comes to your hand. In a humble school, far removed from public observation, God often trains His servants for their higher mission. Moses was forty years in the back side of the desert, keeping the flocks of his father-in-law, before he was called to lead out the tribes of Israel from the house of bondage; David in the wilderness watching over the few sheep of Jesse was prepared for his conflict with Goliath in the valley of Elah. The years thus spent were not wasted years; the fruit of them was seen ever afterward.
Christian Truth, adapted
The Servant of God in a Day of Failure
His Devotion, Separation,
Imitation and Preservation
In 2 Timothy, these four come before us very distinctly, and our understanding of them will prevent disappointment. The most important thing in any service is the furnishing and fitting of the servant. This is treated of from chapter 1:1 to 2:19. The servant must be first formed for his service, and in this section the paramount requirement, devotedness, is before us. Devotion is here manifested in three ways:
1. Antagonism to the ruler of this present world and seeking to deliver souls who are under his sway; that is, he is a soldier.
2. Contending as an athlete to win the prize; that is, he is a racer.
3. Being wholly occupied with hard work — laboring for the fruit; that is, he is a husbandman.
Each of these three exhibits devotion, and each of them requires it.
In the first, he is not only to be against the enemy, but also he is not to be entangled with things here. He is ready to present himself at any point and at any moment at which an enemy may appear. In the second he is striving as an athlete and has two things before him. One is that he shall strive according to the rules of the games, or lawfully; the other is that he may be crowned at their termination. Those who strive lawfully will be crowned. In the third, to labor and not to rest is his work now. The reaping time is to come, when he shall partake of the fruits. He has devoted himself to soldier work, to racing, and to a life of ceaseless toil in the field, with many obstacles to each.
Separation
After devotion to our Lord comes the responsibility of a servant in the midst of servants; that is, his attitude in the house. This is separation. We find ourselves in the midst of many vessels in the house, “some to honor, and some to dishonor,” for these vessels form the state of things in which our lot is cast. Separation is the second mark of the faithful servant here. It is before us from chapter 2:19 down to chapter 3:7. He finds himself a vessel in the house, but desiring to be there “fit for the Master’s use.” For this desirable result he must purge himself from the “vessels to dishonor.” Only such purged vessels are agreeable to Him. “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the Master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” Two reasons are before us which demand that the servant shall act in separation. One is obedience to the Word; the other is to keep a clear conscience, for devotion calls for separation. This is not isolation, for having acted thus, he does not find himself alone. He finds that others have acted similarly, and he is directed not to walk in isolation, but to walk with them. “Follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
Imitation
Now in chapter 3:8-13 comes our third point, imitation. Satan always imitates what is right with the intent of spoiling it. In one way, to find that imitation exists is an encouragement to a true servant, because it proves that there is a right and real thing. Jannes and Jambres imitated what Moses had done. The action of the Lord’s servant was wrought by the power of God. The imitation is by power also, but it is the power of the enemy. It is a great help when things happen in this way, to know all about them before they come. When we expect them, we are furnished by this scripture with directions for our own conduct in the midst of them. These directions are twofold: We continue in the doctrine learned from Paul, and we also cleave very closely to the Holy Scriptures. It is God’s grand preservative for every servant of His today. But in addition, in chapter 4:1-5, we have active employment in what is good. The servant is not only preserved himself; he is also active in the work of the Master. We have thus his internal and his external provision, and both are necessary.
Preservation
Lastly, we come to our fourth point, preservation. However dark the scene in the world and whatever the confusion of the church, God is calmly having His own way in what goes on. It is a cheer to the heart to look calmly to His side of things. Whether in the world, in the assembly, or in the individual servant, we can trace His handiwork. Through all, come what may, Paul will be preserved, and so will Timothy, and so will all who are likeminded. Even a cruel death may come, but that does not touch the preservation of the faithful servant. This section is in chapter 4:6-18. The Lord will both deliver and preserve all His servants who tread this path “unto His heavenly kingdom; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Many so-called Christian paths today present far more attractions than those which this second epistle to Timothy offers, but the true servant is not caught by such. Devotion, separation and preservation form the only safe path for us in the day in which we live. No greater attraction to serve the Lord could be presented to faith than the assurance of God’s preservation, though it is only the servant who is walking in faith that will see it. May the Lord graciously turn many of His servants into the present enjoyment of the privileges of such a path. May He keep them in it — all who are there for His name’s sake — for the individual blessing of each servant and for the collective blessing of all His saints.
H. C. Anstey, adapted
Servant Training in Secret
How often we see in Scripture that God trains in secret those whom He purposes to use in public. Joseph has his secret training with God in prison, before he can be a public witness for God in the palace. For forty years Moses keeps the flock of Jethro at the back of the desert, before he becomes the leader of God’s flock through the desert. Unknown to others, David overcomes the lion and the bear, before he publicly enters into conflict with the giant. So Elisha must have his training as the servant and companion of Elijah, before he can take his place as the prophet of God and the witness of grace. Thus only will he be a vessel and fit for the Master’s use and prepared unto every good work.
H. Smith
Freedom for Service
It is a blessed thing to serve God at all, for we are unable to do so naturally; if a thought of service ever enters our natural hearts, it is one of bondage — the service of a hard and austere master. This is one of the things which show how entirely man has departed from God. If we look at angels, those “angels who excel in strength,” they “do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word.” “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” The highest angel is but in the place of a servant, yet it is a blessed thing to serve, and they bless God for it.
Everyone has known how painful the thought of service is to the natural heart, and unless we see that service is connected with liberty, such will always be the thought. Redemption shows us that we are free, yet free to serve. This is the fruit of redemption, that we are free to be the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the saints, for His sake. If we did not know that we were free, we should be seeking only to serve ourselves. This will ever be the case until we know redemption, how God has saved us, and how Jesus is serving in heaven for us. The great thing for us to do is to look how the Lord Jesus served.
Christian Friend
Seven Ways to Serve the Lord
Serve the Lord with all thine heart (Deut. 10:12).
Serve Him without fear (Luke 1:74).
Serve the Lord with gladness (Psa. 100:2).
Serve Him with a willing mind (1 Chron. 28:9).
Serve with pure conscience (2 Tim. 1:3).
Serve God acceptably with reverence (Heb. 12:28).
Serve the Lord with all humility (Acts 20:19).
Bible Student
Love, the Principle of Service
In this day, when many saints are awaking to a desire of service, there is a danger of getting off the ground of grace. We are all apt to make the connection between service and glory, instead of seeing that the connection is between grace and glory. The blood is our title to glory, even as it has saved us and redeemed us. I see in the countless multitudes who surround the throne that they are there because of “the blood of the Lamb.”
The servant always hides himself, puts himself aside, that the master may appear; the great thing in any service is to be on guard, lest the servant should appear. Simon Magus gave himself out as some great one, but if we serve according to God’s judgment, it will be very unobtrusive service. Joshua was servant to Moses; he abode in the tabernacle outside the camp (Ex. 33:11), but how little prominence he has! Joshua is hid, and Moses is the actor.
Our place of service will always be, in God’s wisdom, the place of trial, though the place of comfort too. So was it with the Lord. He did always the things that pleased the Father, and thus proved His love, but He had to set His face like a flint. Our service is not occasional, but continuous. If we are in the place of servants, it is because we are sons. The ear is to be “opened morning by morning.” Domestic duties are to be taken up as service to the Lord; He is to be glorified in them. The service we mostly fail in is domestic piety. Many would desire more time for serving the Lord. But why not make all we do service to Him. “Ye serve the Lord Christ.”
The principle of our service is love to the Master. Paul says, “Though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all.” I may “go out free,” but “I love my master,” and therefore I will serve them. It is the service of love, and not obligation. We are, it is true, not our own; we are bought with a price; therefore let us glorify God with our bodies and spirits, which are His. But the Lord does not address us with that claim; He says, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” God loves a cheerful giver, because He is a cheerful giver. Some persons say, Oh, I wish I could serve the Lord more! Well, let your soul enter more deeply into His love, and then you will serve Him. It is impossible to love Him and not to serve Him, but it may be service of a kind which we do not like, because we too often serve to exalt ourselves. The Lord said, “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one toward another.” “Brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” The moment I come with a claim, I dampen the mainspring of service; it is by love we are to serve one another. I do believe that this ought to be my feeling; I am a debtor to every saint, because the Lord by His grace has made me free.
Christian Friend, adapted
Redeem the Time
The time is short!
If thou wouldst work for God, it must be now;
If thou wouldst win the garland for thy brow,
Redeem the time!
Shake off earth’s sloth;
Go forth with staff in hand while yet ’tis day;
Set out with girded loins upon the way:
Up! Linger not!
Fold not thy hands!
What has the pilgrim of the cross and crown
To do with luxury or couch of down?
On, pilgrim, on!
With His reward
He comes; He tarries not; His day is near;
When men least look for Him, He will be here:
Prepare for Him!
Withstand the foe!
Die daily, that forever thou mayest live;
Be faithful unto death! The Lord will give
The crown of life.
H. Bonar