Serving God

THIS WEEK was Spring Break for me. I went on a cruise to Mexico and back, and God kept me and my family very safe. So now I'm back to finishing up my school work. Very exciting. But did you know there is a way to serve God in school work, and in all other kinds of responsibilities?

On the days when we feel overwhelmed by school work, or when there is just too much to do, it's easy to just give in to frustration. We could either stop caring or get really stressed, neither of which is a good option. So what do we do? There is a word from the Bible that follows me on days like that.

Colossians 3:23-24, "[23] And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, [24] knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."

I admit it's hard to remember when you'd rather just go take a nap or have a snack, but there's a report to write or something important to finish. But if we handle our responsibilities with patience and diligence, we will be honoring God through our trust that no task can overwhelm us while He is around and that He is the Master of our circumstances. He loves it when we work diligently because it tells Him that we are willing to work on even more important things just as diligently.

While He was telling a parable about servants, Jesus spoke about one who did well with the money he was put in charge of. Matthew 25:23 says, "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord."

It turns out that there are actually thousands of ways to serve God. One is in working diligently, and that is actually useful when we serve Him in all kinds of other ways. Yesterday I read chapter 10 of Do Hard Things, by Alex and Brett Harris. This is the powerful and relevant book that I am reading with my Life Group (go find it). The Harris twins explain that in order to impact the world in a way that advances God's kingdom, we need to be dynamic in every aspect of society. God has given us a great variety of gifts that He calls us to use for His glory.

The Harris twins write on page 175: "A generation of rebelutionaries will write books, direct films, raise and train children, design buildings, run for office, and make scientific and medical discoveries. We will strive to bring the truth of God's Word and the gospel to bear on every area of life we touch."

This means that it's not only the people in religion-specific positions that serve God. It's not only a special few who do certain things. We serve God by doing His will, and this entails dedicating ourselves and the gifts He has given us to His purposes.

Earlier this week I read about Mary and her alabaster flask of costly oil, annointing Jesus' head and washing His feet. She did this out of love and reverence, because she knew that Jesus is the Savior of the world. Jesus approved of her actions. In Matthew 26:13 He says, "Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."

Her gift was the oil and her hunble devotion. Jesus wants us to do the same. But because we don't have His physcial feet here to pour oil on, let's give Him all our hearts and all our efforts. Dance, sing, do math, write, run, lift things, go places, speak, fund-raise, pour cereal for His glory. Whatever He wants us to do is what we should do.

But the most important part of serving God is this: don't try to do it by yourself. We cannot impress God or surprise Him. There is nothing we can give Him that is not already His. We cannot make outselves perfect or bless our own efforts. We need Him to do that. So He gave us a Helper, the Holy Spirit, to direct us and keep us in His will. Everyone who is saved by His grace is born of the the Holy Spirit. But what I learned today is that not everyone who is saved is now "filled" with the Holy Spirit.

We need to ask God to fill us with His Spirit, like rain fills a pot left outdoors. When that happens, our problems get smaller and our confidence gets bigger. We start doing things because He wants us to, despite what it does to us, even if we don't understand why. We can give encouragement and speak truly. We live "victoriously," as Pastor Russ says, without fear and shame and weakness. And best of all, we can do all the things we do "as to the Lord and not to men." When this happens, our service will not be in vain, and God will use us to accomplish His purpose because He sees that we're willing to do things His way.