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Serving the lord with zeal

By Rev. Dr. Israel Kristilere
31 October 2021   |   3:47 am
Becoming a child of God is a great privilege that calls for great responsibilities. Redundancy/laziness at any level is not acceptable to God.

Israel Kristilere

Text: Rom. 12:9-11
Introduction
Becoming a child of God is a great privilege that calls for great responsibilities. Redundancy/laziness at any level is not acceptable to God. In the church of God, it cannot be overemphasised that we are all called to serve, though not all of us will hold offices. That is why Roman 12:11 remains a suitable description of any child of God. “Serving The Lord With Zeal” simply means there is no end to it. Only death can stop any child of God from serving the Lord. In divine service, there is no retirement. Unfortunately, in the house of God, there are three categories of members regarding serving the Lord. These are: 1. Those who are indifferent about serving the Lord.

• Those who are serving the Lord wrongly. 3. Those who are serving the Lord rightly. The correctness or wrongness is not determined by what area you are serving, but how you are serving. To God, service is not the first thing according to our passage. Before service, we are expected to: (Rom. 12:9-11)
• Love without Hypocrisy.
• Abhor what is Evil.
• Cling to what is Good.
• Be kindly affectionate- (philostorgos) Affection is the public demonstration of inward love.
• Humility-Giving preference to others is humility.
• Not Lagging in diligence -(Eccl. 9:10) God’s work must be done with diligence and then
• Serving with Zeal.

According to our passage, it is not enough to serve the Lord. It is necessary to examine with which spirit one is serving the Lord. It is not about how much energy you are putting in, but what power is motivating or propelling the service.

Fervent In Spirit
Service to God must be done with zeal. The Bible says: Christ was “clad with zeal as with a cloak.”(Isa 59:17; Joh 2:17; Psa 69:9). It was said of Apollos, “being fervent in spirit, he taught diligently the things of the Lord” (Act 18:25). Therefore, Lukewarm service is not acceptable to the Lord (Rev 3:15-16). Whatsoever is not done fervently is no good work (Ecc 9:10). To serve the Lord fervently/with zeal, we must serve Him:
• Reverently (Heb 12:28-29; Psa 2:11).
• Obediently (1Sa 12:14).
• Sincerely (Joh 4:24; Psa 51:6).
• Readily and willingly (1Ch. 28:9).
• Only (Mat. 4:10).
• Wholly (Deu 10:12; Psa 119:6).
• Continually (Luk 1:75).

Only those who are serving the Lord rightly are truly serving the Lord. To serve the Lord correctly, you must meet divine expectations for Christian service. Serving the Lord is the highest honour (1 Samuel 2:30). If you serve Him faithfully, He will cause things to serve you. He is a Rewarder of those who diligently serve Him. Only when you serve Him with zeal that your work will be acceptable to Him.

Conclusion
To meet up with the divine expectations in our service to Him, it is required that each of us make more effort to improve our relationship with the Lord. Serving the Lord with zeal is easy, when our relationship with Christ is right. Any lapse is a sign of incorrect relationship with Christ. It is time we all began to examine our relationship with the Master. The devil seems to know this and that is why all his attempts are targeted after our relationships with the Lord. It is high time we all examined how busy we are and what actually is keeping us busy. How busy are you for the Lord? Are you serving the Lord? Are you serving the Lord faithfully or deceitfully? Remember, the Lord cannot be deceived. It is time to serve the Lord with zeal. Shalom.
Shepherdhill Baptist Church (Sanctuary of Grace & Glory), Baptist Academy Compound, Obanikoro, Lagos.

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