Posted on December 8, 2023 by Elizabeth Welte in Freedom Fighters
“So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’”
Well, if my timing has any merit to it then you’re reading this on my 61st birthday. For me its significance is in only that it’s the 20th anniversary marking my first sober birthday in quite some time. I don’t quite remember the entire day but the part I do remember is being grateful that I wasn’t dead or in jail because prior to The Colony I was heading for one of those two places. I had gotten home from my 120-day stay at America’s Keswick Colony of Mercy in mid-November that year and just sorta stayed still for a few months before I embarked on a massive tour of duty in service to Jesus Christ and to the Kingdom of God (you can add your battle roar to this if you want).
So, kinda like a Templar Knight I became fanatical for all things that had to do The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. I went from being behind a church soundboard to out in front of a congregation standing behind the pulpit. The whole entire time, believing I was doing my duty, but like I’ve said earlier, if you’re not ministering at home then don’t go out into Secularland and try to evangelize it. I got educated, certified, ordained, and was involved with all kinds of things that screamed JESUS IS LORD…and then God closed the door on all that. So, for the past year I’ve just been a guy in a pew, and the reason for that is simple. I didn’t do this first. So, there’s a lot to be said about the verse that says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
But as this year has begun to come to its own end, I do wonder, from moment to moment, am I doing my duty? Well, in part, because I’ve taking this opportunity (that many could call an extended Sabbatical) and have focused in re-establishing and freshening up my relationship with two people that were massively affected by my charging into the world with my sword…my adult son and my adult daughter. One waited until they 18 to forgive me and the other, the Christmas miracle that came home from a city of refuge. And with the arrival of Ophelia Lynne a few months ago, I believe the call of duty is now that of being a grandpop to her. I find much comfort in that.
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.’” – Matthew 16:6
One of the things that seem to plague us as a people is looking to getting the “ATTA BOY” when we do the right thing the right way. Most folks get offended when they don’t happen but when they do happen many of us get puffed up like The Sta-Puff Marshmallow Man. We might think it a good idea to help everyone else with their oxygen masks but if it’s done in the spirit of “ATTA BOY,” then maybe you should reread Luke 17:7-10. When you take in this passage you’ll see that the one thing that Jesus wishes to concentrate our attention on, is not the spirit in which God deals with His servants, but rather the spirit in which we should serve God, not what God thinks of our work, but rather how we should regard it ourselves. So, when you arrive at The Bema Seat, do not expect an “ATTA BOY!” and if you are expecting it then you’re gonna be standing in front of something very different.
Jesus makes that very clear as He tells His apostles that the servants are already doing what they are expected to do for what they expect to receive for doing it, why should there be anymore. Fellow Freedom Fighter writer Rob Russomano, has made this statement and I use it frequently, “It’s a privilege that I get to do this” is what he says to describe his labor in the vineyard. Wouldn’t be a good thing if everyone just got onboard with that instead of standing on the street corner, thank YHVH they’re not other people, and needing your “ATTA BOY” as you pass then by? No one is doing their duty dressed up like a Pharisee, are they?
So, as I finally conclude my series on why it is important to put your oxygen mask on first before you go help other people it is my hope that there was something for you to glean for yourself…then I would have done my duty by conveying God’s message to you. A privilege I do not take lightly. Before you do go out into Secularland make sure you’re not always a stumbling for others, that you forgive as you’ve been forgiven, prayerfully asking for your faith to increased and be content in your service to El-Elyon. After all, “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Amen?
Written by Chris Hughes: Chris is a child of El Elyon, a son, a husband, and a father. He has an education in Biblical doctrine and is a graduate of The Colony of Mercy, 11/2003. He has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008. You can email him at cphughes515@verizon.net.
Think About This: “If, as spiritual leaders, we are to be ‘profitable to men,’ as Titus 3:8 says, we need to understand our position with Christ. We are to be Christ-centered servants, which means everything we do should flow out of the center. Anything in our lives that compromises that center needs to be dealt with and removed immediately.” – Aiden Wilson Tozer
The Daily Bible Reading: Rom 9-12. You can download our 2023 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21
Consider a retreat at America’s Keswick retreat center.
