Serving the lord – Part 1

Serving is one of our multidimensional relationships with God. We worship The Lord, we love The Lord, we obey The Lord, we fear The Lord, we trust The Lord, we praise The Lord, and we reverence The Lord. It’s after we’ve done all these that we qualify to serve The Lord! Serving The Lord does not make you a servant; it makes you a minister! Why? Because only his sons and daughters and friends are qualified to serve Him.

You may wonder that in Job 1:8, Job was presented as a servant. “And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job…” Excuse me, Sir, the syllabus has changed!

In John 15:15, Jesus says, “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” Worship, love, obedience, trust, praise and reverence are our obligation to God. Service is our purpose! This is what makes our service reasonable! Our worship is not expressed only in singing and bowing and lifting up of hands, but also in service. Romans 12:1 says “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” It’s when you begin to serve God that you fulfil the purpose of your salvation.

In Exodus 3:9-12, God spoke, “Now, therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel comes unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now, therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.” So, God instructed Moses in Exodus 4:22-23, “And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.”

God is in need of service. He made Christ pay the ultimate price in order to free you and me from the stronghold of Sin and Satan… That we may serve Him. And here you are sitting idle in the kingdom, while God’s investment over you is wasting away! You’ve got to get up and do something for God. Anyone who’s truly saved wants to serve. In Joshua 24:15, Joshua challenged the people of Israel, “And if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” If God has truly brought you out of something, you just want to serve Him.

Let’s consider Paul’s example. Acts 9:4-6 reports his conversion experience when he encountered Jesus. “And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, “Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.” How many people have asked that question or are asking that question? “Lord what will thou have me to do?”

Pastor Seyi Adeyemi, Senior Pastor, The Worship Centre (Assembly of Sons & Daughters of Christ Apostolic Church). The Worship Centre, 1, Worship Centre Avenue, Off Kudirat Abiola Way, First Bank Bus Stop, Oregun, Lagos.