"YOU ARE MY SERVANT!"

Isaiah 41:8-10                       (ESV)

"8 But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; 

9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, ""YOU ARE MY SERVANT", I have chosen you and not cast you off"; 

10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your GOD; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Many times I have pondered the phrase "for I am your GOD" from Isaiah 41:10.  To live in the reality that the Creator of the universes, the Great I AM, is my GOD, leaves me a bit overwhelmed!  HE chose me to be to be part of HIS Kingdom and that is hard for me to totally comprehend.  What love and compassion HE must have to select a poor child of a single parent family with nothing great to offer except my love and futile attempts at righteousness in exchange for the Great I AM being my GOD!

While there are some who want to speak of everything that GOD has, can, and might do FOR THEM, I want to FOCUS today on the fact that "YOU ARE MY SERVANT"!  When I think of a servant my mind goes to a Roman Emperor who had people feeding him grapes, washing his feet, and beckoning to his every desire.  One dictionary says SERVANT is defined as "1. a person employed by another,  2.  a person in the SERVICE of another."  With that in mind, I am to be as an employee of THE MOST HIGH GOD and follow HIS direction for my life.  My wishes and desires shouldn't dictate my future!  

"YOU ARE MY SERVANT" in verse nine of Isaiah is followed by 'I have chosen you".  Acknowledging that someone could be "chosen" TO BE A SERVANT might be a difficult concept for some to grasp, until we realize we are speaking about being chosen by "I AM"!!  JESUS, who is GOD in flesh, says in Matthew 12:50 "For whoever does the will of my FATHER in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."  So in fact, IF we do the will of the FATHER, we are also brothers and sisters of JESUS CHRIST, the suffering SERVANT (Mark 10)!  If CHRIST is our example, and HE came to serve (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45; Luke 9:56...), then "YOU ARE MY SERVANT" should be expected of us???  GOD will be my GOD.  I need to make sure that I live "YOU ARE MY SERVANT"!!