Through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus, we, as Christians, no longer need a holy priesthood to go to for interacting with the Lord, as we have direct access to God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Instead, we can go to God at anytime, anywhere, and share with Him our hearts’ desires, our pains, our questions, and our praises to the Lord who loves us. (Hebrews 10:19-22)
Yet, just as Joshua admonished the Israelites for continuing to embrace their fathers’ gods, we are still at fault for following false gods who promise us comfort, understanding, and love (social media, other religions, careers, even our family and friends). Truth be told, several of us have chosen to go to others who know less about our situations than the Father who created the heavens and the earth.
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matt. 6:24)
Living in service to the Lord
Does not mean that you only present yourself and your family as “surface” Christians, which means that you walk, talk, and interact as Christians but deep down live for oneself or in pledges to other gods/idols. Just because you are adorning the walls of your home with beloved scripture verses and end your statements with, “I’ll be praying for you,” doesn’t mean that your service to the Lord is true and evident.
Doesn’t mean that you only serve the Lord when it is convenient for you or when you are in a period of blessings from God. God doesn’t listen to your prayers or intervene in your life when it’s convenient for Him or when He will receive benefits from you; God helps mankind because it is part of a greater plan that will benefit and grow us in faith and in love for Him.
It means being the Christian that Jesus describes in Matthew 6, not doing deeds or saying prayers with the goal for others to see and be proud of you. If you are in true pursuit of worshipping the Lord through service, Jesus says that you are performing a good service for the Lord and not others: “…do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others.” (Matt. 6:2)
When you pray, it is okay to pray with others and seek petitions from God for the things you need and/or the needs of others, however; the “hypocrites” Jesus depicts in the Scriptures are those who speak words in repetition to sound more scholarly and self-righteous, wanting more the applause of others than the appreciation of God. He advises, instead that, “when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Matt. 6:6)
For those of us who are parents, making the choice to follow God’s decrees in raising your children and leading your household is standing firm on the belief that serving the Lord is important. Being “slow to anger” produces greater understanding (Prov. 14:29) while training our children in the Lord from the beginning will help them not depart from this path when they are adults. (Prov. 22:6)
The bottom line is that we, as Christians, need to know serving the Lord isn’t for the glorification from man for our “good deeds;” it is serving in thankfulness for all the Lord has done, is doing, and will do when we leave these earthly homes for an eternal one. It is also for the pleasure of serving Him and following His will, in that we can help others draw closer to God and make the choice to allow Him into their lives through the acceptance of Jesus.
You are the witness to this proclamation to serve the Lord, as Joshua said to the Israelites long ago, so make the choice to put your service to God before everything else and know He will be greatly pleased with His good and faithful servants!
Reference: Blair Parke “How to serve the Lord You and your Household”; https://www.biblestudytools.com
