Hi Called Creative!
Last time we chatted, we touched on five practical action steps to prepare us for impending consideration but let us explore one last step that deserves an entire episode and blog post of its own: SERVICE.
While you may not be a novice in the faith, serving may not be a strange concept to you at all but if you would allow me, I would like to present a new and unique perspective in the following read.
Service is set apart from the other action steps of preparation because it is the altar in which spirituality and practicality exchange vows in holy matrimony and kiss. Crafting an elevator pitch or designing a website requires very little engagement from our spirit-man but service requires faith, patience, endurance, perseverance, and strength while literally laboring in spite of a myriad of factors of resistance.
Service is sacrifice.
And if you are called to leadership of any kind (which you are because that’s who I am called to minister to), service will be your lifestyle even as a promoted, celebrated pioneer and trailblazer.
Let’s set the foundation with a couple definitions.
Serve: verb
to render assistance; be of use; help
to have definite use
to answer the purpose
Service: noun
According to Dictionary.com
Of course, we know that the Word of God is FULL of scriptures about service but let’s highlight these two for the sake of this conversation.
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
1 Peter 4:10 NIV
You see it, Called Creative, in plain English. Aside from worship unto our Creator, the purpose of our giftedness is for the service of others. Not for platforms, not to receive praise and compliments, but to serve others as faithful stewards or managers of our borrowed gifts.
But the greatest among you will be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be raised to honor.
Matthew 23:11-12 NKJV
These words were spoken by Jesus, the greatest servant to ever live and walk this earth. A couple things to ponder regarding this passage:
Firstly, it always amazes me how the culture of the world is in total, complete, and direct opposition to the ecosystem of the Kingdom of God.
The world teaches that some people don’t deserve forgiveness; God tells us to forgive everyone no matter what they’ve done.
The world claims that it makes better sense to shack up with your lover and test drive the car before buying it; God instructs to abstain from sex until the safe confines of covenant marriage are established.
God says to humble yourself in order to be raised to honor or promotion; the world says that humility is weakness and should be abolished altogether.
Also, if Jesus Christ the Messiah who was God, was able to take on the likeness of man (which is quite humbling in and of itself), to dwell among us, washing the feet of the very men He would have to literally die a humiliating and most shameful death for, could fully embody the role of a servant in such a way then who in the world are we NOT to???
Let’s chat about Joseph again.
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.
The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.
So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.
So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate.
Genesis 39:1-6
Let’s consider this.
Joseph is fresh off of the back of a camel that delivered him as a slave into the strange and foreign land of Egypt. He's only about 17 years old and he's been ripped away from his home, his parents who loved him very much, and everything he has ever known.
He had just been betrayed by his own flesh and blood and it’s only by the interference of God’s grace that the plot of his murder didn’t transpire.
This is enough to justify feelings of anger, hurt, offense, disappointment, fear, worry, and even a continued ponderance of how things played out.
But I believe that even though Joseph may have felt every bit of the aforementioned plus some, he casted this upon the Lord to maintain the pure heart needed for fruitful service.
True and successful service that is pleasing unto the Lord is a heart posture. If you are serving with your hands but complaining and murmuring in your heart, your service is futile and will not yield Word-promised results nor the delight of the Lord.
Heart posture is everything!
Remember what we learned from Psalm 24:3-5 in Arise: Don’t Miss Your Opportunity?
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Joseph was able to ascend in fruitfulness and favor, standing in the the holy place of the Lord as His representative because his hands were clean (he was innocent) and his heart was pure (free of contaminants and pollutants like anger and worry).
Later in the same chapter, even when Joseph’s circumstances seemingly get worse, the favor of the Lord is still upon him and he continues to serve in the way that pleases God, yielding success and fruitfulness.
But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing.
The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.
Genesis 39:20-23
Now, I would assume that Joseph must be doing one heck of a job in order for not one but two of his superiors to not be the least bit concerned about the work that they had assigned him. This type of peace could've only been the result of the diligent service on Joseph’s part.
Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.
Proverbs 22:29 KJV
The word mean in this verse is defined as obscure or unknown according to the King James Bible.
But you know I love a little definition, Called Creative. So let’s explore the meaning of diligent.
Diligent: adjective - constant in effort to accomplish something; attentive and persistent in doing anything
done or pursued with persevering attention; painstaking
Wait... “Painstaking”??
Painstaking: adjective - characterized by taking pains or trouble; expending or showing diligent care and effort;
So let’s fill in the blanks and translate Proverbs 22:29 together.
Do you see a man who is diligent or exerting effort, attention and persistence in accomplishing something even in the midst of pain, trouble and distress in the work that the Lord has called him to do?
That person shall stand before and be in the company of kings (great people of status, wealth, influence and authority). This person will not stand before or be in the company of mean (regular, unknown, obscure) people.
Service matures us, Called Creative! We gotta grow up!!! We have to stop complaining and murmuring in what we are called to ENDURE just for a moment!
We are to be diligent. We are to be careful to keep a pure heart even in the midst of trouble! Serve as if you are serving unto the Lord and not men.
The amplified version says,
Do you see a man skillful and experienced in his work?
He will stand [in honor] before kings; He will not stand before obscure men.
Service builds your resume.
Service sharpens and develops your skillset and affords you experience.
I recently released a prophetic word that many Called Creatives will be considered for opportunities that they were unqualified for on paper but because of how they served in previous seasons, they will be skilled, experienced and well able to do the job better than those who are technically qualified.
Much like Joseph.
I encourage you to read the story of Joseph for yourself. And if you are familiar with it, read it again to pick up this nugget: Joseph’s gift got him in the room but the experience he gained from serving got him the promotion.
Let me show you.
We already know from Genesis 41:14 that Joseph was brought into the consideration of Pharaoh rather quickly because of his gift of dream interpretation in which he flows in seamlessly in verses 25 and 26 of the same chapter.
He continues with sharing God-breathed prophecy in verses 28 through 32 but check this out in verses 33 through 36:
Joseph gave a wise consultation based on his experience of running affairs with order and diligence in his previous seasons.
Yes, indeed his gift made room for him and brought him before great men (Proverbs 18:16) but it was the wisdom and experience learned from tough seasons of service that kept him there and afforded him promotion and multiple blessings fast on the heel of the other!
Your gift is not enough, Called Creative! Yes, you will be discovered because of your anointed giftedness but your success will be sustained because of what you gained in your secret place of worship (obedience, fasting, service, etc).
This is what Holy Spirit said to me as we were wrapping up our time together in preparing this episode/blog post:
Service is a set up for success!!!
Service serves you!!!!!
Get in the heart posture of service!
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.
Ephesians 6:7-8 NIV
One last point before I let you go:
The new glory that has risen upon us is new weight!! The Hebrew word for glory is literally “weight”. Your promotion, increase, new marriage, expanded ministry will all be heavier than what you are carrying right now!
Your answered prayers will indeed be the blessings of the Lord without any added sorrow but please know, there will indeed be added responsibilities! Joseph’s promotion sounds glamorous. He’s second in command, riding around in chariots, waving at his new constituents and kissing babies but he was suddenly responsible for the survival of nations! Talk about pressure.
But because he was faithful in managing the smaller assignments in Potiphar’s house and in the prison, learning everything that those less-than-glamorous seasons taught him, he was able to successfully arise and bear the weightier glory of his new assignment even though it came seemingly overnight.
Let’s serve with hearts that are pure, having faith that we are being prepared for the greater purpose God has in store for us.
Love you Called Creative.
Thank you for taking the time to read. Leave a comment and share some of your thoughts. How are you currently serving your season? Are you having a difficult time? Why?
xoxo,
Khiara
A Called Creative for Called Creatives
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