He was speaking once before a group of medical people. He told them of his personality change, how he was now sober as he once had been drunk; considerate as he once had been severe; concerned for others as once he had been selfish and self-serving.
A psychiatrist, who believed that personalities are so firmly set in early life that no one can change, protested to the Colonel that at his age a person could not have such a radical transformation.
"Well," replied the Colonel, "that may be true. But I am under new management - I answer to another authority - the highest and truest there is." (Source unknown)
Why does God want us to serve Him? We are all servants to something. We are either enslaved to the sin we commit, or we are servants of Jesus. Obeying the Truth will set us free. In order to be set free we must actively serve Him!
When we serve God, the key is to keep our eyes on Him and off of everything else that would distract us! “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.” Peter walking on the water. Today, I want to share some insights from God’s word about some of the benefits of serving Jesus.We need to understand God’s truth.
Here's a question you should ask yourself, “Why should I serve God?” After all, what will I get from it? It seems to me that if you live a true Christian life all you get is pain. How would you respond to this argument? How would you respond to this statement? To this way of living?
In case you haven’t noticed, the majority of the people live by this philosophy. And I’m talking about Christians! John wrote 1 John 2:3-6 to keep us from sinning. But, why does God want us to serve Him? We are servants to something. We are either enslaved to the sin we commit or we are servants of Jesus. Obeying the Truth will set us free. In order to be set free, we must actively serve Him!
We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. So, why should I serve God? Let me just start with the word because. Because… just to name a few that will put us in our place: He is God, we are not; He created us, we didn't create Him; We worship Him; not vice-versa.
He set the example, “Jesus is our example: For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). It’s time for us to grow up. It’s time for us to step up and be the mature Christ-serving person that we have been pretending to be all of these years! You might be thinking, at this moment, "Well, that's all well and good, but how can we do this?" Let's take a look at some things that we can do...
Serving Jesus keeps us out of temptation ( Luke 4). If I am serving Jesus because I love Him and know that He loves me; I am headed toward the goal. I am concentrating on Him. He keeps me focused! He keeps me out of trouble!
Are you living a life of service? How do we know that we are serving God? How often do you ask, “Have I served Jesus enough this week? Could I have done more? Should I have done more?” You can know. God’s word says, “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. Our service demonstrates our love for Jesus. He directs our path. We follow Him, not the other way around!
You have heard that everyone wants to serve God, but only in an advisory capacity. Everyone that Jesus met He said, “Follow me." The commands of God are more than just the 10 commandments. We're like the rich young ruler. We ask to get into heaven, and our reply is, “I have done that all my life.” We literally believe that we have not broken the commandments! How absurd is that?. Jesus fulfilled the law because we can't! This is love for God: to obey his commands.
His commands are not burdensome (1 John 5). When we experience God’s grace we recognize that we can't fulfill the law and that He did this for us. We recognize the grace that He so generously bestowed upon us! And we recognize that the commands of God are not burdensome. He isn't out to break our backs. If that were His goal, He would have done it! Jesus came to fulfill the law so that we could have a relationship with Him.
Serving Jesus keeps us in the truth. Throwing off things that we once depended on will force us to trust Jesus more! We need to learn to trust Jesus with the most important items and relationships in our lives! You know, those areas that only you and He know about. But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul." (Joshua 22:5)
When we choose not to obey we deny the truth. When we obey Him, then He keeps the truth in us! And we become free!!! Our service demonstrates our faith in Jesus.When we are found faithful, and obedient this demonstrates a life of faith.We show the whole world that we are believers in Christ even when things are not perfect.
Serving Jesus fulfills our lives. It satisfies, completes, brings meaning to our lives! God’s word fulfills you, completes you, brings meaning to your lives! You thought your spouse, or significant other completed you? Maybe that person does, but the completion only comes from God. It is God who completes you!
We are in a transitional time. A time of change is never steady, sturdy, or stable. Transition is always unstable, and unsteady. You never know when it’s going to tilt, how far it will tilt, or what causes you to tilt. You are learning! Transition isn't bad. It’s good. It means you are growing!
Notice that you are not comfortable, but you are joy filled. You may not even recognize the joy. Now you are aware of it! You recognize that your joy never left you in the midst of your discomfort. God is changing you! God is making you more like Him! Serve Him and you will never be the same again!
Lastly, when we serve Jesus we become Jesus to our world. I believe that God is looking for people who are willing to be Jesus to their world. I believe that God wants to do God things in and through their lives! "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (John 14:23)
I believe that God wants us to be Jesus to our world. What if we were filled with the Holy Spirit to such a degree that it was as if Jesus walked into the room. What if people were changed immediately because Jesus in you entered the room? Perhaps, you don’t believe this because you have never experienced it! You have experienced too many empty prayers; too many unanswered prayers; too many failures!
But, God is changing you to be like His Son! He has called you to walk as Jesus walked! To talk as Jesus talked! To pray as Jesus prayed! To be Jesus to your world! God Himself is making a home in you. God, Immanuel, abides in you! Will you be changed today? Will you be changed by God and made in the image of His Son?
Scripture: 1 Peter 4:10; Acts 20:35; Galatians 5:13-14; Mark 10:44-45; Matthew 20:28; Proverbs 11:25; Matthew 23:11
Prayer: Dear Lord, fill my mind with loving thoughts today. Grant that I may spend the hours of the day gladly working with you according to Your will. Amen
May your day be blessed!
Gloria
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