As we ponder over how we can serve the Lord in the year ahead under the "Anointed to Serve' theme, perhaps it would be good to ponder over the basics of Christian service.

The dictionary defines anointing as: to consecrate or make sacred in a ceremony that includes the token applying of oil or to be chosen formally. In the Christian context, to be anointed implies an appointment or set apart by our Lord.

In John 15: 16, Jesus said, "You did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name." What a tremendous statement! The Lord chooses whom He pleases and for whatever task designated for that person. It is not `Lord, what can I do for you?' but rather `Lord, what would You have me to do?'

It is our God who anoints us for service. Knowing His will and before we even think of serving Him, perhaps we should ponder over the following:

Obedience To His Will
But knowing His will is not enough. Service unto our God begins with that most difficult of things for us: obedience. To obey even if it means stepping out of our comfort zone, perhaps encountering criticisms and obstacles from our fellow believers. Yet our life must be so ordered by Him, we cannot help but obey, whatever the circumstances.

Walking In The Spirit
The anointing ceremony involves the application of oil. Oil typifies the Holy Spirit. Truly anointed service is not possible without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. As we seek to serve, we must be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Is the Holy Spirit the predominant presence in our life? If He is not, we cannot bear fruits that last.

Holy Living
To try to serve a holy God without holiness in our lives is to be a phony before Him. Before there is anointing on our works, there must be holiness in our life. Are all areas of my life - family, business, social and recreational - an `honest-to-God' life, governed by integrity and transparency? A holy God demands holiness in any vessel to be anointed for service. We cannot be of use to the kingdom of God if our life does not shine before men that they see the light of heaven in us (Matt. 5:16). The world we come into contact with daily may not come to church but our life is the sermon they hear daily.

A Heart Of Love 
Last, but surely not least, is love for one another. Truly anointed service is a heavenly calling and that which is from heaven will be permeated with the love of God. We serve because the love of God is shed upon our heart for Him and for one another and because there is a dying world that needs redemption. Anointed service is also the fruit of a servant's heart - desiring nothing for himself but all for his master so that His name will be glorified. We serve in vain unless we serve in love (I Cor. 13: 1 - 3).

God-anointed service - that which bears fruit that lasts - comes only with the four C's:

As we ponder on how we can serve our Lord this year, let us seek the Holy Spirit and ask Him to reveal to us the state of our walk with Him in order that we can serve truly under the anointing of heaven.