Serving God

“I am weary in God’s service, but not weary of it.” So said an aged and renowned minister of the gospel as he neared his end. Although everyone who serves God has difficulties and trials in God’s service they would not exchange that service for any other. It is the best service possible. In whose service are you? The Bible classifies each person as either “him that serveth God” or “him that serveth Him not.” Where do you stand?

Those who do not serve God are, of course, unconverted, and therefore are in the service of Satan. He is that evil spirit who “works in the children of disobedience,” “blinds the minds of them that believe not,” and “leads them captive.” His servants are “the servants of sin,” “for whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” They are yielding their “members (parts of the body and faculties of the soul) instruments of unrighteousness” and “servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity” (Rom. 6:19). They also serve mammon; that is, they live for the acquisition of what this world has to offer and therefore serve the creature instead of the Creator.

But do not some of them serve God when, for example, they go to church and engage in various other religious activities? It would appear so; but their service is not from the heart because there is no love to God in their heart. Their real attitude to serving God by worshipping Him spiritually and walking in the path of holiness is: “What a weariness is it,” and, “It is vain to serve God” (Mal. 1).

How different is the service of God’s servants! They serve Him willingly, “as the servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart.” They know by experience that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. True, it is service in which there are difficulties and trials, but love makes hard service easy.

Jacob’s seven years of service for Rachel “seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.” Furthermore the Lord gives them grace to serve Him. As He promised Joshua, so He promises all who serve Him, “I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage” (Josh. 1:5-6).

Why is it that those who had pleasure in serving sin now delight in serving the Lord? They must and do answer, “It is the doing of the Lord.” In the day of His renewing power He made them willing persons (Ps. 110) so that they now serve Him “in newness of Spirit.” He enabled them to obey the Gospel. “Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine that was delivered unto you. Being then made free from sin ye became the servants of righteousness.” Also their guilt was removed and their conscience purged “from dead works to serve the living God.”

With what service do His servants serve Him? On the whole, by living a life consistent with His Word. Those who walk in the paths of righteousness and who are persistently in pursuit of holiness are thus serving the Lord. Such a life necessarily involves the performing of numerous and various duties. The Christian mother bringing up her children is serving the Lord as surely as the Christian nurse carrying out her duties in a Mission hospital. The Christian tradesman conscientiously doing his work is serving the Lord as surely as the minister of the Gospel obeying his God-given call to preach the Gospel.

characteristic of the Lord’s servants is that they often feel that they are unprofitable servants. Nevertheless they strive to be “fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.” They endeavor to follow the example of Zacharias who prayed that he and others might serve the Lord all the days of their lives. They wish to be like Paul who served the Lord with all humility of mind, and who could say about Christ, “Whose am I, and whom I serve.”

Love makes hard service easy.

Whose servant are you? You who are the servants of sin are warned that the wages of sin is eternal death. Remember also that you cannot give some service to God while continuing to love and live for this world. “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” To you who serve the Lord the sure promise is made that you “shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

Wherever we stand in this matter of serving the Lord, we need grace: grace to respond to the call, “Choose ye this day whom ye will serve,” by replying, “As for me, I will serve the Lord”; and grace thereafter “that we may serve Him acceptably, with reverence and godly fear.” ?

Rev. N. Ross is editor of the Young People’s Magazine and pastor in the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

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