OPERATION #Hear&Do! (Action #6)

"The secret of GREATNESS is service."
- Rev. Dr. Anthony Cudjoe

This is the final part of Rev. Cudjoe's message on SERVANTHOOD. The man of God taught us 4 basic characteristics of a servant, and he summed them up in 4 Cs. Here they are:

1. Constancy
2. Closeness
3. Confidentiality
4. Contentment

Now, let's have a closer look at these characteristics as we wrap up...

# A servant must be constant. You must always be available to your master. Your master must see you every day. That means you must report to him/her daily. And the only request you should make is: "What can I do to help?" Make sure you give your master a close marking.

# Secondly, a servant must be close to his master. This connotes being intimate with your master- Elisha followed Elijah closely, even to the extent that he was present with him at his meal times. Now that's really close! Remember, you can't pour water on your Master's hands if you don't care about him/her. Get close to him/her- develop genuine affection for your master! Closeness will eventually lead to confidentiality.

# A servant is confidential. In other words, you must learn to keep the secrets of your master. It's not everything that you're told that you must divulge to the external world. Let your mouth keep what you see! He said, "The world is looking for people who can keep confidential information...a servant must know how to keep secrets. Never deceive yourself that you're smarter than the person you're serving, because they see things you don't see." Noah knew which of his children saw his nakedness, and he cursed that child. Don't discuss your superiors/parents to your peers. If your mouth worries you then curcumcise it. Talking too much can limit your employability. Live a life of trustworthiness; that's the only way people can show you treasure. Rev. Cudjoe emphasised, "Never get to a point in your life where because you're not trusted, something else is made to do what you could have done!"

# A servant must be content. Don't be greedy or envious or jealous- be content. If you're not content, you'll move into competition.

Rev. Cudjoe then went on to walk us through a study of the life of Hagar, Sarah's maid (see Genesis chapter 16).
From the study, we discovered that the fact that you've tasted your Master's good does not mean you're on the same level as they are; Hagar had a wrong mindset after she had been with Abram (v.4).

Never run away from servanthood prematurely, otherwise you will miss your portion and your inheritance (vv. 6-10).

God will test your faithfulness in another man's work. Wait patiently on him and let him prepare you!

DO!: Which of the characteristics of a servant best exemplifies you? Where do you realise you need some work to be done? Assess yourself, pray and make the necessary adjustments today.

REVIEW: What is the key lesson you have learnt from today's Hear&Do? Please share to bless a brother or sister.

#BringafteryourownKind

OPERATION #Hear&Do! (Action #5)

"The secret of GREATNESS is service."
- Rev. Dr. Anthony Cudjoe

Today's Hear&Do! is a continuation of Rev. Cudjoe's message on SERVANTHOOD. Please refer again to the background texts: Mark 10:35-45 and John 13:1-15. Spend some time meditating on those two texts today.

Earlier, we learnt that the extent of our progress is dependent on how well we serve.

Now, let's have a look at Rev. Cudjoe's definition of servanthood: "SERVANTHOOD is the disposition and action of submitting to another and supporting his/her vision without expecting a reward." Pause! Please read it again.

From the above definition, we identify certain key points as follows:

# Servanthood is an attitude of being subject to a higher authority.

# Servanthood comes with no praise/recognition.

# Servanthood is 'thankless'.

Anywhere you serve, there's a portion that belongs to you in there. Beware of competing with God for a 'Thank you!' As a servant, you are supposed to serve wholeheartedly, without reservation or complaining- serve with all your heart! (Read Ephesians 6:6-7).

When you have the privilege of washing your pastor's car, don't be looking out for a cash reward in return. If your boss sends you to buy food for him, don't be expecting him to tell you to keep the change when you bring the food! Do it wholeheartedly!

Remember this: DISPOSITION is of the heart whereas ACTION is of the body. In other words, the thoughts in your heart, the kind of attitude WITHIN, with which you use to serve is the disposition. A poor disposition will make your servanthood inappropriate before the Lord. On the other hand, ACTION refers to the outward deeds you perform in servanthood. Let your disposition align with your action. Don't deceive yourself by outwardly 'serving' and grumbling in your heart.

Rev. Cudjoe went on to say, "Looking for reward mars the beauty of servanthood. How you SERVE today determines how you SIT, one day!"

Servanthood is not pleasing, entertaining, attractive or desirable, but it's the path of GREATNESS.

Note these three things:

# Servants are called by another person's (the Master's) name.

# A servant is called for another person's need.

# A servant is called for another person's neglect.

DO!: What attitude do you have in serving? Check your disposition and match it with your actions in  serving your master!

To be continued...

REVIEW: What is the key lesson you have learnt from today's Hear&Do? Please share to bless a brother or sister.

#BringafteryourownKind

OPERATION #Hear&Do! (Action #5)

"The secret of GREATNESS is service."
- Rev. Dr. Anthony Cudjoe

Today's Hear&Do! is a continuation of Rev. Cudjoe's message on SERVANTHOOD. Please refer again to the background texts: Mark 10:35-45 and John 13:1-15. Spend some time meditating on those two texts today.

Earlier, we learnt that the extent of our progress is dependent on how well we serve.

Now, let's have a look at Rev. Cudjoe's definition of servanthood: "SERVANTHOOD is the disposition and action of submitting to another and supporting his/her vision without expecting a reward." Pause! Please read it again.

From the above definition, we identify certain key points as follows:

# Servanthood is an attitude of being subject to a higher authority.

# Servanthood comes with no praise/recognition.

# Servanthood is 'thankless'.

Anywhere you serve, there's a portion that belongs to you in there. Beware of competing with God for a 'Thank you!' As a servant, you are supposed to serve wholeheartedly, without reservation or complaining- serve with all your heart! (Read Ephesians 6:6-7).

When you have the privilege of washing your pastor's car, don't be looking out for a cash reward in return. If your boss sends you to buy food for him, don't be expecting him to tell you to keep the change when you bring the food! Do it wholeheartedly!

Remember this: DISPOSITION is of the heart whereas ACTION is of the body. In other words, the thoughts in your heart, the kind of attitude WITHIN, with which you use to serve is the disposition. A poor disposition will make your servanthood inappropriate before the Lord. On the other hand, ACTION refers to the outward deeds you perform in servanthood. Let your disposition align with your action. Don't deceive yourself by outwardly 'serving' and grumbling in your heart.

Rev. Cudjoe went on to say, "Looking for reward mars the beauty of servanthood. How you SERVE today determines how you SIT, one day!"

Servanthood is not pleasing, entertaining, attractive or desirable, but it's the path of GREATNESS.

Note these three things:

# Servants are called by another person's (the Master's) name.

# A servant is called for another person's need.

# A servant is called for another person's neglect.

DO!: What attitude do you have in serving? Check your disposition and match it with your actions in  serving your master!

To be continued...

REVIEW: What is the key lesson you have learnt from today's Hear&Do? Please share to bless a brother or sister.

#BringafteryourownKind

OPERATION #Hear&Do! (Action #4)

"The secret of GREATNESS is service."
-Rev. Dr. Anthony Cudjoe

Rev. Dr. Anthony Cudjoe taught us extensively on Servanthood on Tuesday morning. In his introductory remarks, he commended our Papa, Bishop Matthew Addae-Mensah, saying, "It takes a great leader to think of the next generation."

He reechoed the four 'goods' in a human being's life. He said there is the good morning, good afternoon, good evening and good night. He essentially said that these 'goods' of life represent the stages in our lives. He then focused on the good morning of life, explaining that our stage as youth is the good morning. You are flexible. And some things that you can do now, you may not be able to do in the later stages of life. Some things are permitted at some stage and at other times, they are not.

There is a difference between the NEATNESS of a thing and its NEWNESS. For example, many Ghanaians call second-hand cars new, just because they look new or they are without stains. But in actual sense, the car is NEAT but not NEW. The point is that in your youth, you are unused.

God is always looking for fresh things!

The more you grow, the more unmarketable you become. Look at age limits for employment vacancies and you'll understand.

When you're young, you have opportunities and options. But growth makes people become fixed.

Now, it is very helpful to note that every liberty comes with a responsibility.

Use your youth to serve the Lord. It's honourable to serve the Lord.

With that introduction, Rev. Cudjoe zeroed in on the crux of his message. The background texts were Mark 10:35-45 and John 13:1-15.

The first reference talks about the time James and John came to Jesus, seeking positions at His right hand and on His left in His glory. Jesus inquired of them whether they were prepared to endure the affliction He was to go through, and they replied in the positive. Jesus then unveiled to them the secret of greatness: SERVANTHOOD (read v. 43-45).

In the second text, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, leaving them an example of SERVANTHOOD to follow.

"Everyone," he began, "desires to be served." In service, you learn. The positions are there but they are available to those who are prepared to serve.

Without servanthood and affliction, there is no promotion. That's why before Jesus ascended He descended (to the grave).

In fact, you cannot be a great leader if you are not a great follower.

Two things servanthood will do for you are:

# Servanthood will open doors for you.

# Servanthood can give you power.

Don't be overly interested in getting rewards when serving. Man's reward is too small; when God rewards you, you cannot contain it.

Always remember that Christianity is built on the principle of SERVANTHOOD.

To be continued...

DO!: At this stage of your life, you are in the best position to LEARN through SERVICE to others. Make the most out of this season of your life. Leave pride aside and put on humility.

REVIEW: What is the key lesson you have learnt from today's Hear&Do? Please share to bless a brother or sister.

#BringafteryourownKind