https://odb.org/MY/2022/05/04/a-heart-for-service
Serving God is usually in the context of a ministry in church or as part of a mission organisation. It is, at the foundation of it, serving the needs of the people. We are mostly concerned with spiritual needs, the bread of life that is the Word of God less the natural (as opposed to spiritual) bread of physical subsistence.
An interesting sentence in today’s ODB pique me and that is, “our goal is to meet the physical needs of the people to get to their spiritual needs”. The ministry in Carlsbad, New Mexico feeds the poor and hungry by giving 24,000 pounds (roughly 11,000 kgs) of free food every month to local residents. It’s about time the church starts feeding the poor especially in these difficult pandemic hit times. In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul praised the congregation at Corinth for meeting the needs of God’s people and also in many expressions of thanks to God. Feeding the hungry and meeting the needs of the people, whether God’s people or the larger community, is one of the ways, we as a church and as individuals, are giving thanks to God for His grace and faithfulness in our lives. Not to show people how generous we are but to thank God for His generosity and grace in our lives.
That is also a great principle to apply in all our service areas for God. Why are we serving God in doing what we do in church or elsewhere? Why do we serve God in church, in the ministry He has appointed us to, week in week out? For example, why do I wake up early each morning to write these devotionals to help others in their quiet time with God? Is it because I love God and this is the expression of my love and also my duty and calling? Yes, it is all that. But it is also to thank God for His goodness in my life and in the life of my family. For always providing me a way out, rescuing me when I’m about to fall off a cliff into the raging waters of uncertainty. Service is an act of thanksgiving, not a matter of duty. It is the expression of our love for God or if not, how else could we thank Christ for His sacrifice on the cross? How else could we thank God for His goodness and mercy? Paul often used the analogy of a slave having been redeemed? How do we repay the kindness and generosity of the person (Christ) who redeemed us and set us free? Not buying us over but paying the price and setting us free.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ – make our service for Christ our thanksgiving for His goodness and grace and mercy. So long as we have breath in us, serve Him with all our heart, mind and strength! God is good, all the time!
Ronnie's Thoughts 