SERVANT?

 

 

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Can we all agree that servants are the lowest class of people, in all cultures, on this planet?  And generally, can we also agree they are the lowest paid?  Welcome aboard.  You are either in, or on the way to being in God's greatest class of beings.  Let us try to prove our point.  The second tradition, in the original anonymous fellowship states:

...our leaders are but trusted servants....

Considering that we have received, or are at least on the way to having the privilege of receiving a spiritual awakening, all need to consider, and determine, which spirit that they would like to embody, and embrace.  There are two spirits, in that realm, that are available.  One is a creative spirit, and the other is a destructive spirit.  One might even consider that one is lawful, and the other is lawless.

One complains, instigates, argues, belittles, demeans, protests, bewails, accuses, etc., and the other inspires, encourages, invigorates, impresses, influences, reassures, heartens, exalts, and exhilarates.  Got the picture?  There are two types.  We are either positive, or we are negative.  The news media, here in America has a saying.  "If it bleeds, it leads."  That might be why the scriptures refer to, "the good news," referring to the four gospels, in the new testament.  Even in one of the proverbs it states, "Good news brings good health."

There are other opposites, that we can mention.  One is competition, the other is cooperation.  Shall we mention their links of evil and good, or how about heaven and hell, and the true test of peace or rage.  Maybe God or Satan.  What do we really desire, in our life?  To be reborn, we must accept defeat, in every area of our old life, in order to be given a new life, that comes from heaven.  And if we can sustain that path, through self sacrifice, in working with others, in the anonymous fellowship arena, we will be awakened into the following prophecy:

Isaiah 42

The Servant of the Lord

    ¹ "Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
       my chosen one in whom I delight;
       I will put my Spirit on him
       and he will bring justice to the nations.

    ² He will not shout or cry out,
       or raise his voice in the streets.

    ³ A bruised reed he will not break,
       and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
       In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;

    ⁴ he will not falter or be discouraged
       till he establishes justice on earth.
       In his law the islands will put their hope."

    ⁵ This is what God the LORD says—
       he who created the heavens and stretched them out,
       who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it,
       who gives breath to its people,
       and life to those who walk on it:*

    ⁶ "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
       I will take hold of your hand.
       I will keep you and will make you
       to be a covenant for the people
       and a light for the Gentiles,

    ⁷ to open eyes that are blind,
       to free captives from prison
       and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

    ⁸ "I am the LORD; that is my name!
       I will not give my glory to another
       or my praise to idols."

Let us be clear.  God is very desirous of sharing his glory, but only with those awakened into his son's spirit, where the spiritual resurrection will accomplish his second coming.  But let us continue.

Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!" 

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. 
"What is it you want?" he asked. 
She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom." 

"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" 
"We can," they answered. 

Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father." 

When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:17-28 NIV)

Well, we get one more option.  We can serve, or we can be served.  Carrying the message to others, that want out of their fatal malady is what gives us the most support, over the long haul.  Along that path, we continue to speak into existence what recovery is about.

The paradox of recovery though is about being in bondage - a slave, to our human lower nature self, or a slave to God's love.  The more we are drawn into God's love, the more we desire and enjoy it's benefits.  There is truly nothing else like it, in the known universe.  Doubt that there ever will be either.

Now to the really good news.  Toward the end of the rebirth process, we are granted the following privilege:

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other."  (John 15:9-17)

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*scribe's serious note: certainly doubt that any liberals will make it to this web page, on the noahhite web site.  don't know how many will remember the name w. c. fields, of the last century.  some one observed him reading the good book, at a men's club on manhattan, sitting in a high back leather chair dressed in his tweed jacket, with his glasses on and of course cigar in mouth, and commented, "lord god, w. c. has gotten religion.  his reply was, "i don't have any religion, i am trying to find some loop holes."

at the end of verse five, in the isaiah 42 chapter above, hope none get too excited that god gives life to all that walk on the earth.  that does not mean if you walk to your residence, from your car, that you have "walked on the earth."  that would be a very liberal interpretation!  

when i was being kicked out of a variety of "christian shelters," because i had "let go absolutely," like it states in "how it works" on page fifty-eight in the bigbook, and did not have any money, i was without transportation for going on four years.  the best thing that i can say about walking is that it is not crowded.

remember walking across an interstate, with a new bridge construction underway, in the winter time, going to a meeting.  it was a four plus mile walk.  the very cold high wind was really taking a toll on me, on top of that temporary bridge, and was thinking about the scripture, "i know your needs, even before you pray."  and i said out loud, "are you sure that all of this is necessary?"

"for each hardship i give you, i will give you two blessings."

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From our noahhite agreements, we provide the following:

20. Our individual goal is to learn how to lay down our life for the ransom of others, in order to be a trusted righteous servant of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ. (Mark 10:41-45)

     *We use The Living Bible as the basis for the text of Noahhite Agreements, and the Words of any Bible that God has chosen for us to read, as our only weapon as individuals.

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