As true Christians, following the teachings of Jesus Christ, we are called by God to serve without reservation or hesitation, at his will, applying all that God provides.
In MARK: 10: 45, Jesus reminds; “For even the Son of man, came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Also, in JOHN: 20:21; we read; “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”
And once again: MATTHEW: 28: 19-20; “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of The Father, and of The Son, and of The Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the ends of the world.”
Do you ever get discouraged with the difficulties of trying to live a Christian life?
Have you noticed that sometimes the harder you try, the more difficult it is to succeed and the more you seem to stumble?
Our Heavenly Father sees this is a part of our learning and growth, as with JOB, and even with our Brother Jesus himself, God permits satan to try and test us to see just how strong our resolve is in being a “Child of God” a Christian.
God knows that we learn valuable lessons, as we learn from our mistakes. God also knows that every lesson learned, makes us stronger both in ourselves, as well as in our love for God. Today we know this by the term, “Tough Love.” We should welcome this is a part of our service to Our Father.
In our life of service to God, every person has been uniquely gifted by The Holy Spirit of Almighty God with specific gifts and trained up in their usage so that we can be our very best, and do our very best as we apply our gifts in serving God, like music, or writing, or being a doctor or a lawyer, whatever profession we might be in.
We are also given certain gifts by the Holy Spirit, motivational gift like teaching ability, or service, or administration, to assist us in the usage and application of our trained skill sets.
True service to God, is not something that we do “For” God, rather something that God does “Through us”, as Paul tells us:
1 THESSALONIANS: 5: 24, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” meaning that God accepts full responsibility to enable us with whatever is required to complete our assigned task of service, and will never leave us on our own, or to our own devices, to try and complete the task.
Paul offers another reminder of this in:
EPHESIANS: 2: 10, “For we are the workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
At the moment of our salvation, Holy Spirit indwells us for the purpose of enabling us to be and do as God wills. Therefore what we think as our service to God is actually God working within us.
LUKE: 24: 49, “And behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with the power from on high.”
Jesus knew that on their own, they were not equipped to meet the challenges ahead of them and would need to be impowered with the Holy Spirit. If Jesus and the Apostles needed the Holy Spirit’s divine powers from God our Father, how much more so must we. As soon as we surrender ourselves to this fact, the sooner our discouragement and our dispair will disappear.
Even Jesus took no credit for the miracles that he performed, but acknowledged that The Father in Him did the work. JOHN: 14:10, “Believest thou not, that I am in The Father, and The Father in Me? the words I speak unto you, I speak not of myself: but The Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works.”
Once we totally surrender, we will realize that it is God’s responsibility, not ours to accomplish the task, God’s capability not ours, that gives us confidence. God is in charge. We must remember though, that since it is through God that things become accomplished, all the glory belongs to God not us. We are reminded,
MATTHEW: 5: 16; “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify Your Father which is in heaven.”
We cannot insist upon how we will serve, nor how long we will choose to serve, nor where. Our attitude for serving must be, I am your servant Father, use me as you will to accomplish what needs doing.
As Christians we should work obediently, reverently, and energetically to carryout that whic God has assigned us to. As an employee, for whatever company we might work, we should see our work as first and fore-most in service to Almighty God, for God is the one who provides it for us, even though we work for a human employer, and company. Paul tells us;
EPHESIANS: 6: 5; “Servants be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ.”
Also: COLOSSIANS: 3: 23, “and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not unto men.”
As an employee, you receive your paycheck and receive benefits, but these must not be what motivates your work, since in reality you are serving God, fulfilling your obligation not to be idle and lazy but productive, earning your wages.
LUKE: 16: 13, cautions us though, “No Servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
The moment we allow our motivation to become overtime money and a bigger paycheck we are not serving God. The moment we are willing to work 7 days a week sacrificing our Holy Sabbath and our obligations to our family for a bigger paycheck, we are no longer serving God.
Since as Christians we have chosen a life of service to Our Father God, there is no reason for us to become discouraged or feel dispair when what we are doing in the service of Our Lord, and in our lives, don’t seem to be going exactly as we think they should.
As long as we continue to remind ourselves that our service to God, is permitting God to work through us, and that all work is according to His will and that what ever is needed and required to complete the task will be supplied by God, including the skills we require.
God will not permit even one of His projects to fail or not meet His expectations.