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“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33.
“So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.” Exodus 23:25&26.
Serving God isn’t a gift or a calling; it is a choice. – David O. Oyedepo.
“…choose you this day whom ye will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15.
Serving God is having a heart of seeking God’s interest on the earth, loving what He loves, and pursuing His agenda on the earth today.
Serving God is loving him with all that we are and have, obeying, and enjoying being with Him.
Serving God is also displaying God’s magnanimity in your life such that God is glorified. You glorify God by receiving all He has provided for you gladly and joyfully. 1 Peter 4: 10&11 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things, God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
“For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” Luke 19:10.
“…not willing for any to perish, but all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.
God’s primary interest on earth today is the salvation of the souls of men. You and I, the people on earth today – born again or not, we are God’s greatest Love. His Love for us is so great that the Scriptures describe it as high as heaven is from the earth (see Psalm 103:11). Jesus said, “and other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one Shepherd.” John 10:16.
Serving God’s interest, therefore, is seeking what God seeks, being God’s voice on the earth today as in John 10:16, loving what He loves – the salvation of the souls of men and women, and meeting the needs of humanity.
Serving God is not a religious activity or a hobby; it is serious business. This is the reason Jesus came after all (see Luke 2:49 & John 4:34), and our lives’ purpose lies in this – in serving God. Ecclesiastes 12:13 says it all, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
Let me quickly point out that service to God isn’t limited to what we do or don’t do for God in church. There is a general misconception in the Body of Christ that our service to God is tied to only what we do in the house of God. In actuality, service to God not only includes what we do in church, but what we do after church service is over.
What does serving God require of us?
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” John 15:16.
Salvation – becoming God’s child is the foundation of serving God or doing anything in the Kingdom. Without a Father-child relationship with God, you can’t serve Him acceptably.
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,” John 1:12.
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:64.
Just as John 15:16 says, He chose us and appointed us for His purpose on the earth. It’s left for us now to receive Him and receive His Love and walk in His ways.
Only the Spirit of God can bring the plan of God to pass. Without the Holy Spirit, we are utterly limited in our capacity to serve God. We cannot do the Christian walk without the Holy Spirit. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8.
Ephesians 6:6 talks about doing the will of God from our hearts because God searches the heart of man before placing anything in their hands. See also Jeremiah 17:10, Jeremiah 30:21.
King David admonished his son Solomon in 1 Chronicles 28:9, “As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.”
The state of your heart determines the quality of your service, which in turn directly affects your destiny. See Isaiah 29:13 and 2 Chronicles 25:2. The quality of our experience and walk with God is often linked to the quality of our service to God.
In John 15:16, God’s Word tells us that we are to bear fruits – lasting fruits, which is winning souls into the Kingdom of God. Psalm 92:14 tells us God’s will for us is to bear lasting fruits throughout our lives, “Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.” Oh, what a privilege we have to serve in God’s Kingdom!
Remember Moses in the Bible; God wrought great miracles by his hands in Egypt. God used him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. He enlisted to be used by God to bring great deliverance to God’s people at 80 and remained active in service for God even till the end of his life at 120 years old. Scriptures record of him, “Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim, nor his natural vigor diminished.” Deuteronomy 34:7. What great blessing it is to be in God’s service even till the end!
2 Chronicles 15:1-15,19 gives in detail the Israelites’ story when they entered into a covenant to serve God under King Asa’s reign. Scriptures record that as long as they held their part of the covenant, there was no more war, and God gave them all-round rest.
Our faith in God shows how much we trust Him and how far we are willing to go for Him. Sometimes, on our journey with God, particularly when we take responsibility in God’s Kingdom (that is, serving God), God may give us an instruction that will require great faith to obey or follow through.
Picture Abraham, at age 75, God told Him, get up, move your family away from your father’s house and all you have known, and go a place you do not know, but that I (God) will show you as you go. Imagine Abraham explaining to his relatives why he was leaving to an unknown destination. He must have sounded crazy to them. A few well-meaning relatives would have tried to discourage him from following God’s instructions. Increasing our capacity to obeying God’s instructions requires that we build our faith.
I’ve come to discover that God’s instructions to us may sound simple, almost too simple. Still, they are certainly not easy to accomplish (truthfully, they can’t be performed in the energy of the flesh).
God has a great plan for you, one that will show His glory and magnanimity. Hence, God’s instructions to you aren’t dependent on your abilities; they depend on Him. As long as you are walking with God and serving Him, building your faith is a requirement.
Habakkuk 2:4 says and repeated in Hebrews 10:38, “…but the just shall live by his faith.” Our Faith in God determines the quality of life we live and the quality of our service to God.
Philippians 2:13 says, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good pleasure.”
Apostle Paul testifying of God’s grace in 1 Corinthians 15:10 said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them–yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”
God’s grace is available and more than sufficient for the assignment He has placed in your heart. Simply obey His prompts and leadings.
“Each time He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9.
The attitude and condition of our hearts with which we serve God matters because God sees the heart. John 4:24 we quoted earlier, tells us that whatever we do in worship or service to God must be done in spirit and truth. Now this tells us that God doesn’t accept just any kind of offering or just any kind of service, but He receives the worship from a heart of service in Spirit and truth.
“And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:3.
Before Jesus commissioned His disciple Peter to take care of His sheep in John 21:15-17, He asked Peter the love question repeatedly, saying, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”
The motive of our service to God (and humanity) is Love. Love for God, Love for His people (both saved and unsaved), Love for His Word, Love for His house, and Love for the things of the Kingdom.
Jesus also tells us that the proof of Love is our obedience to His Word.
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15
Matthew 22:36-40 tells us why Love should be our motive in serving God and humanity.
“‘ Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’
Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'”
As we keep serving God and His people in Love, just like God promises to all that love Him (and prove that they do by their actions), “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9.
God doesn’t force His Will on anyone. We choose to serve God and the degree to which we serve Him.
Serving God isn’t a gift or a calling; it is a choice. – David O. Oyedepo.
“…choose you this day whom ye will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15.
1 Corinthians 4: 1&2 says, “So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Now it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.”
Proverbs 20:6 says, “Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?”
Jesus, extolling the virtues of faithfulness in the Parable of the Talents, said in Matthew 25:21, “His Lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.'”
The Scriptures are filled with the blessings of being faithful in God’s service.
Being faithful in God’s service elevates and enthrones you, putting you in a position of greater influence and in a capacity to bear more fruits. In Matthew 24:45-47, Jesus said, “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.”
Proverbs 28:20 also says, “A faithful man will abound with blessings…”
2 Corinthians 9:7, talking about giving in the Kingdom says, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. ‘For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.'” The same can be said about our acts of service towards God and His Kingdom. God doesn’t want you to do anything for Him out of compulsion. He wants you to do it from a place of Love, willingly and cheerfully too. Deuteronomy 28:47-48 further buttresses the reasons why we must be cheerful in serving the Lord.
Hebrews 12:28 says, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.“
2 Timothy 2:19-21 tells us, “Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
In a large house, there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use.
Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.”
The depth to which God can entrust us with His purposes on earth is tied to how much we are willing to work with Him in righteousness.
The dictionary defines diligence as careful and persistent work or effort. To enjoy serving God, we need to serve Him with all diligence. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
“Serve with goodwill, as to the Lord and not to men,” Ephesians 6:7.
“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Galatians 6:9. (See also Philippians 3:14, Ecclesiastes 9:10, Colossians 3:23).
Of course, serving God diligently comes with numerous rewards. The Bible is full of verses on the blessings of being diligent in all you do, not excluding serving the Lord. “Seest thou a man diligent in his [Kingdom] business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.” Proverbs 22:29 [paraphrased].
Psalms 126:6, talking about sacrifice, says, “They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.”
Jesus assures that you shall receive in manifold all you may have sacrificially given up for the Kingdom. The best part, here in your lifetime and in the age to come, you shall enjoy eternal life.
“Then Peter said, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So He said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.'” Luke 18:28-30.
Mark 8:38 – “If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” From the next line in the Lord’s Prayer, “give us this day, our daily bread,” we can tell that Jesus wants us to pray the Will of the Father on earth every day. Now, this begs the question, What is the Kingdom of God? What is the Will of God?
“Nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the Kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:21.
“… not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter3:9.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the Will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
The Will of God, among others, is for us to pray always for the Kingdom of God and His Will to be established on earth through us. The Kingdom includes the people of God and the agenda of God on earth today.
The Bible admonishes us to pray always, without ceasing. What then should be the subject of our prayers? Are we to pray for our personal needs without ceasing? I think not. There is so much of your personal needs you can pray for.
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20.
Apostle Paul told how he reached out to others with the gospel of Jesus in 1 Corinthians 9:22-23, “…I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”
Telling others about the Love of Jesus is great, but much more critical is our lifestyle doing the talking for us. Demonstrating the Love of Jesus by our actions is real Christian living.
“Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as also you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11. Consistently encourage other believers with your lifestyle, a word of blessing, your prayers, your testimonies of God’s help, etc.
Remember, the Helper who is the Holy Spirit is there to help you. He wants to help you live a life that glorifies God and encourages others in the Faith.
4. Serve the needs of humanity.
Jesus tells us that whatever good deed we do for others, we do unto Him. Matthew 25:35-40 says, “For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.'”
There are rewards for serving God by helping others. Hebrews 6:10 says, “God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.”
2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. ‘For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.'”
“distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” Romans 12:13.
“Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender.” Proverbs 19:17.
“So give yourselves completely to God…” James 4:7. Serving God is living in divine purpose and abiding by the calling to which He has called us.
“In all labor there is profit…” Proverbs 14:23.
“The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” Ruth 2:12.
Serving God, according to the Word, makes a giant out of an ordinary believer.
Serving God pays the most and pays the best. – Dr. David Oyedepo.
The rewards for serving God and the interests of His Kingdom is unmatchable. Exodus 23:25-26 clearly shows this, “So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.”
A natural engagement and work can only give us bread and water; only God can bless it. – Pastor David Oyedepo Jr
Taking responsibility to serve God as the Word specifies makes you a success and a living wonder.
A few of the blessings and rewards of stewardship in God’s Kingdom is:
Among others,
Jesus talking about lip-service/eye-service and self-gratification in Matthew 6:5 & 7 said, “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.”
Instead, Jesus says to “go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Verse 6. God establishes His children in the open and makes visible to all, the rewards of serving Him.
In conclusion, anything we do outside a heart of Love for God, the interests of His Kingdom, and humanity, we do for ourselves, from a selfish motive [self-gratification]. It brings no rewards because God takes no pleasure in such.
“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” Matthew 6:1-4.
Thanks so much for sticking through the long read. I hope you were blessed. See you in the next post.
