Being a "servant" carries with it a negative impression--bondage, servitude, enslavement, burdens, etc. By definition, that's exactly what a servant is. But the context of today's verse sheds a totally different light on the word "servant." Actually, it is used in the context of a "gift."

This verse explains four "gifts" which are given to those who have new life in Christ:

"But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." (Romans 6:22)

• WE ARE FREE FROM SIN
  
• WE BECOME A SERVANT OF GOD
  
• WE ARE GIVEN FRUIT UNTO HOLINESS
  
• WE ARE GIVEN EVERLASTING LIFE
  

These are all benefits, including the privilege of being a servant.

We are designed to be servants, either to sin or to righteousness. There are no in-betweens. There is no other way. We either serve God or we serve sin.

The choice is ours as it was in Joshua's day: "Choose you this day whom ye will serve" (Joshua 24:15).

Choose God and you choose life! Being a servant then becomes a benefit, a privilege, and a blessing rather than a burden.

What is your choice?

Father, it is my choice to serve YOU above all else, not only for the benefits but simply because I love You! You have put in me a servant's heart which makes me glad to serve You! I don't count it a burden to serve you, as I am bonded together with You through Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour. Thank you for freeing me from sin, allowing me the privilege of being Your servant, gifting me with fruits of holiness, and giving me everlasting life. Lord, for all this I cannot begin to thank You enough. Your blessings are truly without measure. Amen!

© Jan Ross
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We are so keen to other's faults but oblivious to our own most times. Judging others seems to be a favorite pastime for many of us while we neglect the more needful thing of judging our own motives and actions against the Word of God.

"So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." (John 8:7)

Jesus knew that this woman was guilty, there was no doubt. Yet, her accusers were also guilty, maybe not of the same sin, but of other sinful acts and motives. He alone had the power to judge the intents of her accusers' hearts, and He alone had the power to free her from the sentence of death dictated by the law.

We all deserve death, yet Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, stills the voice of our accuser and has freed us from our death sentence. The wounds He bore, the bruises He received, the chastisement He endured, the price He paid, the blood He shed, and the death He died have washed away our sin and set us free from the sentence of death of which we are so very deserving. What can wash away our sin? Nothing—nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Dear Lord, nothing but the blood of Jesus can cleanse me and make me whole; nothing but the blood of Jesus can purify my heart. Oh, how precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know… nothing but the blood of Jesus. I thank you for the cleansing, saving, healing, delivering blood, the blood shed on Calvary for me. Amen.

© Jan Ross
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Abraham had received the promise from God years before He spoke as recorded in Genesis 17:1: "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect." In fact, so many years had passed that his faith was being challenged by the aging process of his own body as well as that of his wife.

Yet, we're told in Romans 4:20 that Abraham "staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God".

Abraham, well advanced in years, heard from God who tells him three things:

• I am God
  
• Walk before Me
  
• Be thou perfect
  

If anything would make a man stagger, it would be the third phrase uttered by God . . . "Be thou perfect!" How can we be perfect? What does God really mean when He tells us to be perfect?

The word "perfect" actually speaks of "sincerity." To be sincere, not to be masked or to present yourself as something you are not. In ancient times, when someone would go to the potter's house to buy a clay vessel, they would take the vessel they chose and set it in the sun for a short period of time. The sun would soon reveal any cracks the potter may have tried to hide rendering it an "insincere" vessel—one that represents itself as whole when all the while it was a damaged vessel.

God wants us to be sincere, to be absolutely honest before Him. If there is a "crack" in our lives, He wants to be the Master Potter and repair it because any other repair job just won't do. No other potter's hands can do the work of the Master Potter.

Do you want to be whole and complete? Let the Master Potter mold you, make you, and repair you; let Him make you a vessel of honor unto Him, pure and blameless, whole and complete. Sincere. Perfect in His eyes.

Father, Master Potter, I present myself to you as a broken, crushed, and mutilated vessel, one that has been marred by the enemy. Make me new. Mold me, reform me, repair me, and make me complete, sincere, and perfect in Your eyes. Father, whatever it takes, take me and do what needs to be done that I may be that perfect vessel of honor unto You. Amen.

© Jan Ross
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Eternity, a time which knows no measure, no beginning and no end. Our God was, and is and will be forevermore, from everlasting to everlasting—eternal. Before the earth was formed, He was! Before the heavens were measured out, His throne was established! Before the stars were set in place, His plans for your life were set in motion!

"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." (Psalm 90:2)

Take a few moments today to think of His eternal existence and to contemplate His everlasting presence. To do so will cause you to drop to your knees in honor of His awesome holiness, power, righteousness—His magnificence! There is none like our God; no where can there be found any like Him.

Now take a few moments to honor Him and worship Him with a greater understanding of how awesome He truly is! Glory to the King of Kings, the Eternal and One True God!

Father, your greatness overwhelms me; your eternal existence is truly a mystery to my limited ability to comprehend. Your holiness is unsearchable, and your holiness untouchable. Thank you for the shed blood of the Lamb who was slain before the foundations of the earth, in the eternity before time. You alone are God. Your throne is established forever. You are the Most High, the Almighty, the Exalted One, and so much more! You are my God and I will love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength. There is truly none like You! Be glorified today in my life, in every ounce of my being, amen!

"But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation." (Jeremiah 10:10)

© Jan Ross
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The Israelites had just been delivered from the hand of Pharaoh, the relentless ruler whose heart was hardened toward them. God had a plan for His people , a plan that would take time - His time.

God visibly led the children of Israel on their journey with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He could easily have led them to their destination in a very short time; however, they would not have been prepared for the battle that awaited them. The children of Israel, during their time of captivity, had been laborers not warriors. Their spirits were broken because of life's circumstances while in captivity.

"And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt" (Exodus 13:17)

It amazes me to think that God, when we were delivered from bondage by the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, could have led us directly to the fulfillment of His promises to us. But, like the children of Israel, He knew we wouldn't be ready for the giants we would encounter without a time of learning and growing and building up of our faith . . . without a time in the wilderness.

God knows our frame and He understands our weaknesses. As He leads us away from our former captivity, God limits our trials according to our strength, not allowing us to face more than what He has enabled and equipped us to face. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

While the children of Israel went about their journey out of bondage into the Promised Land for forty long years, it was a time of testing and preparation for the giants they would encounter when they arrived.

God is preparing us one day at a time to face the giants found in our tomorrows. We need not worry about not being able to deal with what our future may bring for God has proven Himself faithful time and time and time again. Just as He brought the children of Israel out of bondage, the Lord brought us out of bondage strengthening and preparing us for journey toward our destiny.

Take a moment and thank the Lord for His abundant love, a love that causes Him to lead us every moment of every day and night. He has a plan that will prepare us for what tomorrow brings while He gives us the strength to walk through today. In other words, He's got us covered.

Lord, You amaze me! Thank You for loving me enough to purchase my freedom from the "captor" and to lead me through this life's journey to my destiny. Father, thank You--it's obvious that You've got me covered. By the blood of Jesus and in His name I pray, amen and amen!

"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him." (Lamentations 3:22-24)

© Jan Ross
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One of the hardest things in life is to cast down pride and a self-serving attitude to concentrate on being a servant to others.

In today's world, everywhere we look we're enticed to consider ourselves before anyone else. Abortion serves self, homosexuality serves self, drug and alcohol abuse serve self; even divorce in most instances serves self in one way or another.

Jesus, through His example of love and humility, challenged us to consider others more highly than ourselves through service. John F. Kennedy once said, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." This easily applies to us as Christians..."Ask not what others can do for you, but ask what you can do for others."

If we could only learn to focus on others' needs, to serve them with an unselfish heart, our needs would be met as well. "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed" (James 5:16a). In other words, focus on the needs of others and God will make sure our needs are met as well.

To have a "servant's heart" allows God to use us as His instruments to minister to all those around us.

"If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them" (John 13:14-17).

Oh, that we would all learn to have such selfless compassion!

Lord, help me to remember that being a servant, having a servant's heart, and serving others is what pleases you. Help me to follow your example of love, humility, and selflessness, becoming less aware of self and more aware of others. Because of Your love and in Your precious Name I pray, amen!

"Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another" (Romans 12:10).

© Jan Ross
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One of the hardest things in life is to cast down pride and a self-serving attitude to concentrate on being a servant to others.

In today's world, everywhere we look we're enticed to consider ourselves before anyone else. Abortion serves self, homosexuality serves self, drug and alcohol abuse serve self; even divorce in most instances serves self.

Jesus, through His example of love and humility, challenged us to consider others more highly than ourselves through service. John F. Kennedy once said, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." This easily applies to us as Christians..."Ask not what others can do for you, but ask what you can do for others."

If we could only learn to focus on others' needs, to serve them with an unselfish heart, our needs would be met as well. "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed" (James 5:16a). In other words, focus on the needs of others and God will make sure our needs are met as well.

To have a "servant's heart" allows God to use us as His instruments to minister to all those around us.

"If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them" (John 13:14-17).

Oh, that we would all learn to have such selfless compassion!

Lord, help me to remember that being a servant, having a servant's heart, and serving others is what pleases you. Help me to follow your example of love, humility, and selflessness, becoming less aware of self and more aware of others. Because of Your love and in Your precious Name I pray, amen!

"Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another" (Romans 12:10).

© Jan Ross
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The Lord on high…He is an immovable anchor cast in the storm. The Lord does more wondrous things than the noise of many waters. They cannot disturb His rest or rule. They cannot defeat His designs and purposes.

God is mighty to preserve His people from being ruined by these many waters and His people's spirits from being terrified by the noise of them. He can, when He pleases, command peace in our lives. The unlimited sovereignty and unrelenting power of the awesome God we serve encourages His people, even in the midst of the most difficult storms of life.

Who is mightier than the waves of any trial in our lives? The Lord on High!

Who can calm the raging storms in our lives? The Lord on High!

Whose love knows no end? The Lord on High!

Who is mightier than the mighty waves of the sea? The Lord on High!

Who is the soon coming King? The Lord on High!

The Psalmist summed it up perfectly … "The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea." (Psalm 93:4)

Hallelujah to the Lord on High!

Lord, You ARE mightier than the waves of any trial in my life for You ARE the Lord on High. There is none like You in all the earth or in the heavens above the earth. You are the immovable anchor in the midst of my storms. Help me remember when the waves billow out their deafening sound in my soul that You will be there to calm the sea for Your voice is mightier than the noise of many waters. Thank You for such an awesome assurance, amen.

© Jan Ross
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He makes "grass to grow upon the mountains" . . . meditate on that for just a moment.

A while back as I listened to a guest pastor share the Word of God at our local church, my heart suddenly leapt within me. God opened my eyes to an important truth through his simple sharing. Although he used this illustration in a slightly different context, today's verse brought life to it as God stirred within my heart.

"Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains." (Psalm 147:8)

Having been from South Carolina, this pastor's family often traveled through the Blue Ridge Mountains to his home. His wife and daughter were usually in the car saying things like, "Ahhhhhhhh.....such beauty! Look at the flowers! Look at the river rustling as it leaps over the rocks! Look at the sun peeping through the towering trees."

In fact, they usually very audibly and descriptively enjoyed the picturesque testimony of God's greatness that was so prominent along the way. But, while in the driver's seat, all he could see was the mountain ahead as together they ascended on the long and winding road to the top of one mountain only to descend and repeat the ups and downs over and over again until they reached their final destination.

The difference between the passengers and the driver was the focal point. This begs the question: In our journey through life, what is OUR focal point? Do we focus on the beauty of life's "scenery" as we journey along the way? Or, is our focus on the arduous task of climbing the mountain that seems to never end?

Our choice of focal points will frame our attitudes, bringing us either sheer delight in seeing God in every step we take or dismay as we contemplate the hard climb ahead. It's purely a matter of perspective.

Through every mountain there are joys. We just have to take our eyes off the mountainous road ahead of us and enjoy the scenery displayed each step of the way. God is everywhere! He's with us, manifesting His blessings, sharing His beauty, and giving us joy along the way as we make our way up and down each mountain. And, never forget He's even in the valley between the mountains. It's all in our perspective.

Psalm 148:7-9 says, "Praise the LORD from the earth . . . mountains, and all hills . . ."

Let's join in praise to Him who not only created the mountains but who also is in our very midst as we climb, showing us His glory each step along the way. If we don't praise Him in the midst of our mountains, the rocks and the mountains themselves will proclaim praise in our stead for our God WILL be praised!

Father, it is in realizing that You have created the mountains that I can learn to praise you for them while going up and while going down. Help me to stop along the way, admiring the beauty of Your majesty as I behold Your presence with each step I take. Teach me to look for You every day in all places, both the easy and the hard, the steep and the level, the mountains and the valleys. Thank You, Lord, for the grass upon the mountains—the evidence of Your Hand along the way. I offer my praise to You, oh Lord, amen!

"And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen." (Psalm 72:19)

© Jan Ross
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There are few if any significant events in our lives that would surpass our wedding day. The bride in her white gown and the groom eagerly waiting the moment their eyes meet as they enter into a covenant with each other and with God. Preparation for the wedding took a lot of time and careful planning, paying attention to each detail so as to not overlook anything. The bride takes special care to prepare herself for her new husband. Her hair has to be just right; her nails groomed perfectly, her dress without wrinkle or spot, her veil carefully positioned to express her innocence and purity. All in all, the wedding day is one that is long anticipated, and its memory is one that lasts throughout a lifetime.

"And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." (Revelation 19:8)

The Bride of Christ can be similarly compared, however. Her dress is not one purchased by her; it is one that is GRANTED to her because she has made herself ready. The fine linen garment is a gift from the Bridegroom Himself, lavished upon His bride. It is fitting that the garment is linen as it represents the righteousness of the saints. We need to realize, however, that the garment is NOT hers by personal merit or gain; it actually belongs to her Groom as His righteousness is her covering. It is the gracious bestowment of the Lord; the reference here must be to that righteousness which is obtained by faith, the righteousness that results from justification through the merits of the Redeemer.

Have you made yourself ready? Are you positioned to be granted the garment made of fine linen, clean and white? Are you clothed with His righteousness?

These questions are the most important you could ever ask yourself. Set your sights upon Him as you begin your preparation for the day you will hear the blowing of the shofar and the message proclaimed, "Behold the Bridegroom Cometh . . . prepare ye the way of the Lord!"

Lord, what a beautiful picture of Your bride! Lord, help me remember that being granted the privilege of wearing the robe of white linen has nothing to do with me and EVERYTHING to do with You. Your righteousness is given freely to those who bear Your name and are walking in Your light. Lord, I long for the day when I will hear, "Behold the Bridegroom Cometh . . . prepare ye the way of the Lord!" Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen and Amen!

© Jan Ross
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