Lewis Memorial UMC

Building strength is something every doctor will tell you to do after you have had just about any kind of surgery. They always tell us not to over do it, but to follow his or her directions so we can regain our strength. Strength is one of those things that get lost during and after surgery. We must slowly build back up our strength so we can continue to live a productive life. That’s what we do when we have lost some strength. But when we want to add to what we already have then we exercise and work out and get plenty of sleep and eat better. We start walking or running and lifting weights and taking exercise classes all in the hopes of loosing some weight and gaining some strength. Why do we do this? To get ourselves in better shape so we can live a fuller life and be healthy! It is so easy to talk about doing these things and it is very important that we do them, but it is just not that easy to get started and stick with it for some reason!

The same can be said at times about our spiritual health as well! We must do the things that keep us spiritually strong and healthy and we must do them on a daily basis. It takes a strong faith to be a Christian today! To be spiritually strong we must do what Jesus said in Matthew 22 when He was asked about the greatest commandment. We must love the Lord our God with ALL of our heart, soul, and mind if we want to be spiritually strong! But just as we can loose some physical strength we can also loose some spiritually strength if we are not careful. Last Sunday we read from 1Peter where Peter reminded us to stay alert because Satan is like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Being spiritually strong will keep us from being an easy target for the devil. How else can we do this?

Once again we can learn from Peter this morning and let his words strengthen our faith and our daily, spiritual walk with the Lord. He wrote a lot in these few verses we just read in 1 Peter, but I want us to concentrate this morning on one main aspect – being a servant! Remember, Peter wrote this letter to a group of Christians who were suffering in the world around them because of their faith in and devotion to Jesus. Peter wrote this letter to the followers of Christ. Today, that would mean you and me and all who proclaim Jesus as their Lord and Savior. So let’s treat this letter as if it were written yesterday to us here at Lewis Memorial.

Look back with me at 1 Peter 4:10. Just before this we read how Peter was instructing the followers to be hospitable to one another and to do so without grumbling. What in the world had Peter heard about these early believers that led him to write such a thing? I guess those who were being hospitable to others were gripping and complaining about it! Maybe Peter was telling them (as well as us today) that being loving and caring and reaching out to others in need should be done with a joyful heart!

Now here in verse 10 Peter wrote, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” Peter wrote that to encourage the followers then and we are reading it this morning to encourage us today! Think about the many gifts God has blessed you with and then think about how you are using them to serve others. And don’t say that you don’t have any gifts because that is just not true! God has equipped all of us with great gifts to be used for His glory and each of us has at least one to be used to serve others! The Apostle Paul talked a lot about gifts from God and how they were given to us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Turn to 1 Corinthians 12:4 with me. Paul is telling the Christians in Corinth that it is God who has given them their gifts and there are many different gifts.

In 1 Cor. 12: 4-11 Paul wrote, “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. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.”

OK. So maybe you don’t think your gift is wisdom or knowledge or a strong faith or having miraculous powers or speaking in tongues! Well Paul can help us out again with a different list of gifts found in Romans 12: 6-8. Paul wants his readers to know that even though there are many of them and that they have many gifts they are still one in Christ. In Romans 12: 6-8 Paul wrote, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach, if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” We have all been given gifts and if you still don’t think you have any of these mentioned then let me tell you of the one I know you do have – to serve! Paul wrote that IF your gift is to serve then do it! But I tell you that we all have the gift of service! And the great thing about that is that when we serve - God gives us extra strength to keep doing it!

I am amazed how God gives me strength to keep serving Him every day and to keep serving His people. It doesn’t seem to matter how tired I am when it comes to serving others in need because somehow God strengthens me. And He does the same for you when you serve Him and serve others. Now this does not mean that we don’t get tired. It doesn’t mean that we never sleep because of all the needs both out there and inside here! What it means is that God strengthens the weak, especially when we put Him first and others second, before ourselves!

In our scripture reading out of 1 Peter this morning we read that if anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides! God gives to us the strength we need when we are serving others. Yesterday is a great example of this as we had our Lewis Day of Service when we went out into the community and did so much work for those in need!

I have been on many mission trips and I have seen folks get really tired and weak on these trips, but I have also seen God give us the strength every time to do His will. I see people at this church serving God through different ministries and I know how tiring it can be, but I also see God shining down His love upon us as we serve Him. And the best part about serving God is doing so with a grateful and a joyful and a loving heart! Peter wrote that the glue to make all of this happen is love. He wrote that above all things we must love each other deeply! Peter also wrote that we serve with the strength God gives us so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ!

So God gives strength to those who serve Him and His people! God gives strength to all who seek to do His will! God gives strength to all who love Him! So serve! Seek His will! Love! And God will strengthen you daily!