Of life and thoughts on service

Well, a lot has happened in the past 2 weeks or so.
Firstly, we've gotten most of the care team stuff done, as far as omiyages go anyway.
Secondly, the team as a whole has raised about 88% of what we need in order to to go.  This is a praise since last time I updated we only had about 45%. 
Thirdly, during the latter part of the month of May I reached the age of nijuichi. At least I think that's how you say it.  I'm not certain, because in Japanese there seems to be a different way to count pretty much everything.  In any case, I have now reached the ripe old age of 21, whether that's good or bad is yet to be seen.  I am thankful for the time on earth God has given me, and I pray that it was for His glory and that whatever time I have left will be lived for Him and through Him.  What I do know for certain is that I do not want to be useless.
Fourth, an update on some of the stuff I've been learning in general.  I've been learning more about theology, or doctrine in the last few months.   And I am absolutely loving what I'm learning and I know I am growing from what I've been learning too.   But my prayer is that I will not be "puffed up" with knowledge, but that I will really and truly live it out.  I want to be humble, not just learn about it.  I want to know God, not just about Him.  (That's another neat thing about Christianity.  I have the amazing privilege of having a personal relationship with the holy, living and true God. Wow.  When I sit and think about the religions of the world...they don't really know God, or their "gods", they just know about God.  They don't have a personal relationship with God, and I get to?  It's amazingly humbling.  Why me? I don't know.  But, I am soo thankful that I do.)  I want to be able to share what I know in a gentle, loving manner, but I too often don't.  Prayerfully, I will eventually do so all of the time.

Anyway, moving on to some thoughts on the attitude of service.
Humility and service seemed to be tied to one another.  See, it's like this, if you are not humble it is extremely hard to even think of serving others.  A proud person simply does not think of, nor does he or she care, about the trouble they cause.  And it would hardly cross their mind to serve the other person in any way.  They instead want to be served.  I have to admit that this is a very easy attitude for me to have.  It is hard to continually have an attitude of service, yet on the other hand when one is humble, it becomes easy to serve others.  When I think of myself as lower than others, as the weak and broken person I am before God it is much easier to serve others.  None of us are better than any other person in God's eyes.  We are each and equally hopelessly sinful before God.  We deserve hell and yet God has saved us from that, (if having realized our sinfulness and repented of it, we truly believe and trust in Him) and that is amazing.  How can we not be thankful and thus serve others out of that gratefulness?
I guess I've said this before, but I need to be continually reminded of it.
We cannot take the gospel lightly.  Yet living in light of the gospel makes it easier to be humble, to serve others, to love others and to not forget our purpose as Christians.

It is always so convicting to remember that Jesus basically spent His whole life here on earth in service. And He out of all the people in the world did not have to, for He is God.  And yet in every other religion, the "god" is to be served, yet the one true living God did not come to be served, but to serve.  Out of the many things that are different between Christianity and any false religion, this one sticks out to me.  He is not a God made with hands, but is the Creator, the Maker of the world.
Jesus lived His life as an act of service, as an example to us, as it says in Philippians 2.  He made Himself nothing.  That is He lived His life in total and utter humility, serving the neglected, unwanted of the world.  He cared for them because He loved them.  I know that this is only a facet of who Jesus is, but it
is one I need to focus more on.
Yes, service is hard, but that is how Christ spent His entire life. How then can I not live my life in the humble service of Him?  The amazing thing is that when you serve, you receive joy, probably more than the one you are serving.

If you ever see me not serving when I should be, or serving without a humble, loving attitude, come up to me and tell me! I want to know, that I might grow and make Him ever more glorious.