(നിത്യതയില് ചേര്ക്കപ്പെട്ട സിസ്റ്റര് ഷൈനി ജോണ് വോയിസ് ഓഫ് ഡസേര്ട്ടില് എഴുതിയ ലേഖനം പുനപ്രസ്സിദ്ധീകരിക്കുന്നു.ദുഖത്തോടെ-എഡിറ്റര്)
Serve’ is a favourite word among Christians. Pentecostals would vehemently proclaim that they serve the living God. Some use it with the right perspective, while most use it to proclaim their great achievements for the cause of God.
According to the dictionary the word ‘serve’ means ‘to fulfil the duty towards a post or person’. In Christianity serving God means to be devoted to God and to do what God likes us to do for His glory and purpose on earth. The psalmist has said in Psalm 2:11 “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.” Paul says he served God with great humility and tears in Acts 20:19. Jesus said “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only” in Matt. 4:10 and Deut.6:13 supports this. Jesus also said “You cannot serve two masters…you cannot serve both God and money” in Matt.6:24. Human beings have the capability of serving only one master. We cannot be devoted to two masters at the same time.
When we look at modern-day Christians it is but easy to know whom they serve. Even seeking God and worshipping God has only one agenda – to get our way or to serve our desires and purposes. Praising God is to be blessed with better prospects and many gifts. Praying to God appears to be a means to fulfil our many wants and desires. And there is no end to our desires and wants. And Christian charity or giving is made by modern prosperity preachers, as an investment to get double the amount. We desire to get more riches and more comforts. In this context let us pause and think – are we serving God or serving ourselves? The Christian discipline of fasting is turned into a means of serving our own selfish interests rather than seeking God or His will. The first century Christians fasted and sought God to know His will and to renew their consecration to His service.
Then what do you mean by serving God? Christians are the followers of Christ Jesus. Our role model is Jesus, our saviour. When he came to the earth, He set for us an example to follow Him. Jesus said “I did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28). Jesus said: “I do what my Father commanded me to do” (Jn.14:31). We are ambassadors of Christ. That means we are representing Christ here on earth. Therefore we are supposed to live like Jesus lived. We should do God’s will here on earth.
What is God’s will?
(1)The first and foremost command of God is to love him with all our heart and with all our mind and with all our strength. That means we have to love God more than we love ourselves. Our life should be lived to please God and serve His purpose on earth. Therefore our prayer and praise should be God-centred and not self-centred. (2) God’s will is for us to become like His son Jesus. Rom.8:28 says we are predestined to be transformed into the likeness of His Son. That is, our life should be transformed each day into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. How is this possible? Jesus said “If anyone would come after me, he must deny self, take up his cross daily and follow me”. Unless we deny all self-centeredness in every area of our life, we cannot follow Christ and do what pleases Him and bring glory to Him. (3) It is the will of God that all men should come to the knowledge of the Truth (1Tim 2:3-4). We have to be witnesses of His gospel wherever we are. People around us should be able to see Jesus through our life and words. 4) It is God’s will that we be holy just as He is holy (1Thes. 4:3). 1Peter 1:15 says: “Be holy just I am holy”. He has called us to be holy and blameless before Him.
Dear friends, this life is short and fleeting. It will be over very soon. All that we accomplish for our earthly existence will be lost, but only that which we did in our devotion to Christ will last forever. In God’s presence in eternity, all our earthly achievements and honour and riches have no value. Let us not follow the standard of the world. Let us live our lives to the standards of heaven, for we are the citizens of heaven (Phil.3:20). Jesus said in Mat.6:19-21: “Store treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy…For where your treasure is there will your heart be also”. Paul says in Col.3:1-2 “If you are risen with Christ, set your minds on things above and not on the things on the earth…”
All our Christian activities or spiritual exercises like worship, prayer, fasting, fellowship and also our day-to-day living should be God-centered, NOT self-centered. Not with the aim of getting our desires accomplished, BUT rather to please God and to do His will and to glorify God. Our motive should be to love God and serve His purpose in our life in the short time he has given us on this earth.
Our prayer should be a communion with our heavenly father. To thank Him and to enjoy His presence. To know Him more and more. Our fasting should NOT be to get our things done or serve our purpose, but, to grow in our devotion to Christ Jesus, our Saviour and Lord. Fasting should help us to forsake our self-will and pride and seek God’s will and God’s glory. It should be a time of rededication and complete submission to His will and plan in our life. As per Acts 13:2-3, the First Century Christians fasted and prayed and got up to go for missionary work as God’s Holy Spirit told them. Therefore our fasting should be to grow in deeper devotion to God’s will. In the New Testament Church we never find any occasion when they fasted and prayed to get an earthly desire accomplished. Fasting and staging a dharna to get their demands fulfilled is the pattern of the world. It is not the pattern of the kingdom of God. The standard of the Kingdom of God is to fully trust in God’s will and His goodness. To submit to the father’s will. That is the example that Jesus showed us. Jesus prayed: “…not my will but thy will be done…”
Our worship should not be for getting any benefit for ourselves, but to thank God and to glorify His Name. Our life itself should be a worship to God. Paul says in 1Cor.10:31: “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Paul then goes on to say in 1Cor.11:1 “follow my example as I follow the example of Christ”. Our Lord Jesus Christ lived on this earth only to serve the purpose of God the Father. Paul says in Rom.12:1 “I urge you brothers in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.”
We have to serve the purpose of God on this earth in the short time we are here on earth. We should be like the telescope to let the world around us see our Lord Jesus Christ, who is in heaven through our life. A songwriter has rightly said: “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me; all his wondrous compassion and purity; Oh the Spirit divine all my nature refine till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me”. We should be instruments or mediums through which God could reveal Himself to the world and also draw many souls to His kingdom. Therefore our only aim in seeking God should be to glorify His name and draw others to Him. Thus we can serve God. All our needs in regard to this earthly life, God has promised to provide for us. Jesus said in Mat.6:31-33 “Do not worry saying ‘what shall we eat? or ‘what shall we drink?’ Or ‘what shall we wear?’ for the pagans run after all these things, and YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER KNOWS that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Jesus also said in Luke 12:15 “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of His possessions.” Paul says in 1Tim 6:6-10 “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For, we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Dear friends, let us serve God and not our own selves. Let us seek God to do His will and glorify His name. Somebody has said: “All Christian are but stewards. Everything we have is on loan from the Lord, entrusted to us for a while to use in serving Him.” May the Lord help us to serve HIM.
