You Choose Whom You Serve

It is pretty clear in this world and life that we are the masters of our choices, as we have grown to understand them that is. As a small child we are not in understanding and therefor rely on our parents to decide for us. But now that we are not small children, we are in control of our choices and decisions.

The title of my writing this morning is the same as my study passage from James MacDonald. We are indeed in charge of our choices and the object of our service is certainly in that realm of choice. We like to think that we are the product of our circumstances and that things are left to chance and where it appears that way, it is not true. Yes, things happen and we are left to work through that which follows, but we can either be the victims or lean in and serve the one really in charge as we work through them. God allows things to happen and we have the choice to serve Him or abandon them in favor of ourselves or some other entity.

“¹⁵And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:15 (ESV)

The Israelite people had the choice to serve the LORD or serve the idols of their ancestors or serve themselves. Joshua pointed out their choice and was clear where he and his family landed. And he made it clear that once the decision was made, the commitment would be held to account. God would remember and the outcome would not be of the people’s liking.

“¹⁹But Joshua said to the people, ‘You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. ²⁰If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.’” – Joshua 24:19-20 (ESV)

It is not just of words that we commit to serve. It is in action. We can say that we will serve, but not until the action is taken does the service come to being. Lori and I are members of a church plant, although we are now going on 5 years now. As a part of our membership, we committed to volunteer our service. But, just saying we would volunteer does not make it so, it is in our action of service that we are demonstrating our service. And for the 5 years of the Bridge Fellowship, we have served.

With God and service to Him, it is not something we can say and then get away with avoidance. He is watching and keeping account. As noted in verses 19 and 20 above, if we have committed and then turn away, we will be dealt with and held to account. Even as we were once doing as we committed. The choice is for now and forever.

I want to be careful to point out that our choice to serve is not a condition of our salvation. When we choose the LORD for our salvation (in our heart, mind, and body), that choice is made. We are saved. And then comes the next choice, to serve Him. We are still sinners and will be swayed easily by the evil one. We will still be subjected to the ways of the world. So, just because we have accepted salvation through the grace, mercy, and love of God, our job is not done. Service to Him comes next.

“⁵Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, ⁶not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, ⁷rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,” – Ephesians 6:5-7 (ESV)

We do choose whom we serve. We are to make it clear and then act on that choice. The words have meaning to tell others of our choice, but it is the actions we take that demonstrates that choice. As Paul notes in his letter to the Ephesians to do “the will of God from the heart,…as to the LORD and not to man”. Actions speak louder than words and it is our actions that demonstrate our choice of just who we serve.

What actions are you taking to demonstrate your service? Have you said the words of choice and now leave it to chance as to how it plays out? What if you demonstrate your service to the LORD through your actions “from the heart,…as to the LORD and not to man”?

Who You Gonna Serve

“²⁴No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” – Matthew 6:24 (ESV)

This morning as I continued my study into choices, I was reminded that we have to choose to serve somebody. At this I was reminded of the verse above that we cannot serve God and money. That we cannot have two masters in our lives. Where money and the challenges it poses was not the focus of my study this morning, it is certainly one of those things that vies for our attention and service.

Where we are giving our attention is where our service lies. Is it a work and our devotion to that work. Are we spending so much time there that it is keeping us from other things in our lives. Is it in an idol or group that steals us away from other places in our life. Is it in an individual that consumes our being so much that no other person even really exists in our lives. Or, is it in ourselves, where we are more focused on getting ours that the rest seems to go by the wayside.

Either of these will certainly take up our attention and drive us away from the others. But what if we were to chose the one to serve that ultimately leads us back to all of the others that we may be separated from. Jesus and God’s Word is the one authority we serve that leads us back to all others. Our service to God not only gives us purpose each day, but that purpose is in assisting others achieve what God has for them as well.

We should be choosing God. Oh, don’t get me wrong, however we come to know God is great, it is the choosing Him that gets us where we should be. But, when we choose Him, we are making the conscious decision to serve Him. Sometimes I believe that sometimes, people “come” to God, selfishly looking for the next thing in their list of accomplishments. It was a choice of convenience to get something and then the choice is abandoned for the next thing on the list. There is a lack of service to the LORD and a looking for something from the LORD instead.

You cannot give your attention to more than one. Even by not “choosing” where to put your service is a choice in and of itself. By not choosing, you have chosen ambiguity and chaos. You have nowhere to put your trust and devotion. You have chosen to drift and where drifting may be okay in the moment, ultimately it leads you nowhere, at least nowhere of any real consequence to you. You are simply living for yourself and the momentary “happiness” that fades when the moment is gone.

Stumbling or expecting to drift into the LORD is not the way. Make the conscious choice to serve Him. As noted in the Matthew 6:24 above, you can only love and be devoted to one master. When we choose to serve the LORD, He gives back to us the lasting joy that cannot be found in things of this world. By choosing the LORD and serving Him, we are rewarded with that which we need and blessings that we don’t deserve based on the sin we commit and the sinner we are.

Who do you choose to serve? Are you looking to serve yourself or something else to get that momentary “happiness”? What if you were to choose lasting joy and the only one you can serve to provide it, our LORD Jesus Christ?

Use Freedom to Serve All

I recently wrote of the freedom to serve and that was to serve God. This morning I was reminded that we serve all in addition to God. I am to serve everyone, yes everyone as I move through this world. I am even to serve those in authority, regardless of who they might be. The passage I was led to this morning is titled, “Submission to Authority”. It is not titled submission to the authority of God, just authority.

“¹⁶Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. ¹⁷Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. ¹⁸Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.” — 1 Peter 2:16-18 (ESV)

I can only imagine the difficulty it was/is for those who are living under the thumb of one who treats me like an animal and thinks of me as something that is here for my own pleasure. I am not going to try and indicate that I know what it is like to be a slave, not even a little. What I am speaking of is that which I believe God has indicated through Peter here in this passage and how it aligns with the will of God and His Word.

Peter is indicating in the above that we are to be free in the LORD. We are to follow Him and just as Jesus did, we are to treat those in authority with respect and do the work assigned. For Jesus did indicate that we are to give to the authority that which we are to give to the authority.

“¹⁸But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? ¹⁹Show me the coin for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius. ²⁰And Jesus said to them, ‘Whose likeness and inscription is this?’ ²¹They said, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’” — Matthew 22:18-21 (ESV)

It is clear that where we are to serve the LORD, we are to also serve the authority here in this world.

We are free in the LORD and therefor we are certainly to be serving Him who gives us that freedom. Yet we are also to use our freedom to serve others. We are to bring the gospel to all and we do that through service and love and not through rule and fear. Service is giving of ourselves for the good of others and not for our own good.

Who are you serving in this world? Are you avoiding the service of those in authority as they, “have no power over you”? What if you just served all, even those in authority as we are commanded by God, so that through that service you are spreading the gospel?