Serving the Lord requires obedience and faithfulness

God wants to bring you to the place where you don't have to be begged, badgered or browbeaten to serve, where one instruction from Him means that you will be obedient without question

Source: PInterest

Have you ever seen a dog that has completed obedience classes? The dog is a pleasure to its master, because it has learnt to respond to his word. Sometimes only a simple look is needed to let the dog know what the master is expecting. In Psalm 32:8 God says; 'I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you'. God wants to bring you to the place where you don't have to be begged, badgered or browbeaten to serve, where one instruction from Him means that you will be obedient without question. As a servant we can't change our master's order, in fact, it is a great deal easier to do what God gives us to do, no matter how hard it is, than to face the consequences of not doing it.  God doesn't want ‘foot dragging compliance’, He wants willing obedience, and when He gets it He blesses it; Isaiah 1:19 ‘If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land’. God's best is reserved for those who say 'yes'.  Ask yourself ‘how will I know when I arrive at that place?’ Well, you will know when you are able to truly say (from your heart), ‘I desire to do Your will O my God’. Psalm 40:8 ‘I desire to do Your will, my God; Your law is within my heart’.

If by doing God’s will you are upset over giving up your 'rights' and 'privileges' to serve others, just take a moment to consider what Christ gave up to serve us. He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death; Philippians 2:8 ‘And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross!’ When we are tempted to remind others of the sacrifices we have made in our lives and continue to make; hear Christ's words; Luke 17:10‘..when you have done everything you were told to do, you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty’.

Source: PInterest

As a Chaplain in a large hospital, I am very mindful that every time I visit the hospital that it is only the will of God that will be done. I go in obedience to God, and only through Him do I pray for people. I often come away thinking of what I have achieved, however it's not for me to go and achieve anything, but that God should get all the Glory. I am a hospital Chaplain, not to serve myself, but to serve others in obedience to God and as His commands, speaking the Word in and out of season. In His dealings with people, the bible tells us in John 13:1 that Christ 'Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end' and when He came to His dealings with God, in John 5:30 He could say; 'For I seek not to please Myself but Him who sent Me'. Can God count on you (or me) to be obedient and to seek His will?  Will those who God puts in our path see God in us because we are obedient and seek His will first and not our own? When we make a commitment do we keep to it or do we quit on a whim, or do we break our word because we get a better offer?

In John 13:3-5 Jesus Himself provided an example of service and obedience when He began to wash the disciples feet; ‘Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God; so He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him'. In this single act of obedience Jesus settled three big issues; He knew who sent Him, He knew who sustained Him and He knew who was going to reward Him. Jesus demonstrated that service and obedience can never become slavery to one who loves. When we serve the Lord, let us do so with a willing heart in obedience and faithfulness. For we are no longer a slave to fear/sin, as we are accepted, loved, and a child of God. Amen.

Author: Herbert Jean

May God bless and enrich your life

Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and others