Serving the Lord
by Oyin Oladipo
God’s expectation of us is to live our lives to please him. He has called us to do 3 things in our Christian walk, and our primary assignment which is to give him pleasure is hinged on these three things (which I will call our 3 fold service).
Our 3 fold Service
-
Loving God
-
Showing love to fellow Human Beings
-
loving ourselves
We have a responsibility to God,
other people and ourselves. True happiness comes from carrying out
these duties whole heartedly.
Jesus tells us to ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your
neighbour as yourself.' Luke 10:27
This Golden rule has three elements to it; love God, love your neighbour and love yourself. The aim of doing these things is not for us to be known as the nicest guy on the street, but rather as a service to the Lord. We shall go on to consider these three fold service of the Christian one after the other using Luke 10:27 as our guide.
Our Service to God
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.
The way we view God goes a long way in determining how we relate with and serve him. Some see him as a task master while others consider him a loving father. Abraham had a healthy perception of God, he knew God as one who can be trusted and hence relied on God. To Abraham God was good and not evil, this view of his helped him in his relationship with the almighty.
King David too knew God as a lover and friend. Even when afflicted by God because of sin, he still saw God as the merciful one. This attitude went a long way in boosting his relationship with God. It got to a point that God called David ‘The man after my heart’
King Saul on the contrary saw God as a taskmaster who is too outdated to be relevant (or what explanation can be given to his gross disobedience to God in 1st Samuel 15?) Like the proverbial servant who buried his talent instead of investing it, Saul’s unspoken opinion of God was ‘you are hard to please’.
Taking a cue from these examples we realise that for us to minister effectively to God, our opinion of Him must be positive. I am not asking you to paint God into what He is not, but to view Him aright…he is not against you.
Several times in the Bible we see God reaching out in love to humanity. John 3:16 is a perfect example of this. It shows God giving humanity his best.
This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. John 3:16 (The message)
Some other scriptures also attest to the fact of God’s goodness
For I know my thoughts towards you says the lord, thoughts of good and not evil to give you a future and a hope
He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. Song of Solomon 2:4
The God, who made these statements quoted above -and many more in the Bible, is not wicked. One of the lies of Satan is that God is a wicked person who cannot understand human feelings. I must say here that there is nothing as untrue as this, John 3:16 prove it wrong and so do other scriptures too. Not only does God love us, he also does not condemn or abandon us in our iniquity. Instead he came to our level went through our experiences took our place in suffering, died and rose for us and offers us eternal life.
Jesus Christ is the embodiment of all that God is and the New Testament clearly shows us that Jesus has people’s interests at heart. Even the religious leaders and lawyers of His days could not fault Him. He was simply perfect. He put others before Himself; he fed their stomachs, healed their bodies, raised their dead, educated their minds, upgraded their CVs, offered them hope and took their place in suffering. The unclean became clean by His touch, and a dark world was lightened by the witness of those in whose lips he put smiles.
If you are looking for God, look no further for He is near you in the person of Jesus Christ. The big question then is this if you were alive at the time Jesus was here physically would you serve Him? Did I hear you say you would Love, worship, obey him and meet His needs? Like Mary the sister of Martha, would you sit at his feet and learn, and like Joseph of Arimathea would bury His dead body in your Million Dollar designer Tomb? Would you give him your car to use like Simon gave Him his boat, would you part with your lunch in order for Him to use it for what he deems fit. Would you be willing to like Mary go through the risk of carrying an ‘illegitimate’ child in order to give the saviour an easy passage into the world?
Loving God starts from having a sound biblical opinion of Him, and goes on to obeying Him like you would obey Jesus Christ if he were alive and act toward others the way God would.
Our Service to others
Love your neighbour as yourself.
…in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 (English Standard version)
In the story of the Good Samaritan Jesus established an important fact, that our neighbour is anyone who at any point in time comes into contact with us. As people with God’s nature, we have the responsibility of treating others the way we would like to be treated.
If you want to be honoured then honour others, if you don’t want to be gossiped about then stop backbiting about others. Jesus says it is the measure with which we measure that things will be measured back to us. In other words, what goes around will definitely come around.
A lot of times it is not easy to love people because of the various issues associated with and that crops up in human relations. We are most times tempted to keep to ourselves and be insensitive to the needs of others. God however does not share this view with us, he asks us to love others, to genuinely look out for their good and have their best interest at heart no matter the risk involved. While writing this paragraph, I paused to send a thank you text to Prudence my friend for some acts of love she did. In the last 3 weeks she came to my rescue twice by paying for my bus fare. On one of the occasions I did not have enough money for a bus pass; on the other I had the wrong pass so she had to buy me the right one. As small as her actions might look they met my needs at the moments in question, which is an example of showing love to your neighbour.
The Bible says the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts- we have the ability to walk in love. If we submit to Him the Holy Spirit of God will enable us to walk in love towards even the most miserable person we can think of. This world will be a better place if we start showing love to everybody who comes our way regardless of their race, class, colour and creed.
God would not come down to show love to humanity, he wants us to be His physical representatives in the business of loving people. We have been given the heavenly duty of putting hope in people’s hearts and smiles on their faces. Do not wait until you have a million dollars to give to Oxfam or The Red Cross before you start making a difference. Your Charity project is next door, what is your attitude to your neighbour, co-worker, or fellow commuter. My next door neighbour, Dawn usually posts a Christmas card through my door on Christmas and I do likewise to her. Nonetheless as good as this and other seasonal compliments might look, God want us to go beyond them to the real thing -seeking after each others welfare positively every time.
Sometimes ago I was travelling from London to Manchester, a journey of roughly four hours or so by Coach. Just sitting across me in the coach was a young lady who was profusely shedding tears. She did this the whole of the journey. Something in me wanted to go and offer her some comfort, but I quickly remembered that this was the UK where everybody keeps to themselves. I am sure God would be very sad because of my action; I allowed my environment to shorten God’s hand to others through me.
Unlike me, Jesus would not keep quiet while somebody wept beside Him; he won’t leave the wounded unattended to. The bible says ‘a bruised reed he will not break’. He won’t cause more hurt to the hurting or kill the dying in the name of mercy killing, he would rather tell the terminally ill about the hope of heaven than commit assisted suicide no matter how legal it is. Drug addicts would receive new life from Him and not be labelled as Junkies; He would do everything in His power to make sure that the oppressed gets justice. He came to set the captives free.
Our religion is not complete if we ignore the plight of others, listen to what God told prophet Isaiah in response to the people’s complaint that they observe fastings and yet have no results to show for it.
Is not this
the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to
undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that
ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and
that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou
seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself
from thine own flesh?
Isaiah 58:6-6 (KJV)
The New Living Translation renders it better.
"No, the kind of fasting I want calls you to free those who are wrongly imprisoned and to stop oppressing those who work for you. Treat them fairly and give them what they earn. I want you to share your food with the hungry and to welcome poor wanderers into your homes. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
"If you do these things, your salvation will come like the dawn. Yes, your healing will come quickly. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the LORD will answer. `Yes, I am here,' he will quickly reply.
"Stop oppressing the helpless and stop making false accusations and spreading vicious rumors! Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as day. Isaiah 58:6-10 (New Living Translation)
Jesus was not only a religious person; He was a humanitarian fellow too. Compassion was a constant action of His, though not a millionaire yet, everybody who came to Him got what they needed. Bartimaeus the blind man, the woman who had the issue of blood, and the ten lepers - among countless others- had their lives transformed by Him. He never threw anybody away, he welcomed all.
One of Jesus’ instructions to us is that we should be witnesses of him all over the world, telling and demonstrating to humanity the ministry of Jesus. We have the assignment of being the conductors of his love to people. Things like class or racist behaviours are not in his nature; he was Jewish yet spoke with a Samaritan woman, a teacher yet made friends with illiterates and he wants us to do likewise.
Our Christian service as it relates to others is simply to show the love of Christ to them. This would prompt us to gladly visit the lonely and rejected, comfort the sorrowful, preach to the sinner, encourage the saint; lend physical, emotional, spiritual and all kinds of support to those who need them. At a wall in one of the rooms of the De la Salle Centre, St Joseph’s College, Ondo, Nigeria, is a painting which reads something like this ‘Jesus has no hand but mine, no feet but mine, no tongue but mine’ and it goes on and on.
The truth is that Jesus has no hands, or feet on earth but yours and mine, likewise he has no mouth to speak through but ours. If Jesus honoured God by treating the people God created well (regardless of their state and attitude), it then behoves us to follow in His footsteps for we are His witnesses and Ambassadors. It is His desire that you put a smile on other people’s faces by leaving a permanent imprint of Godliness on their lives. The next time you look at yourself in the mirror remember you don’t belong to you, but to Jesus. You are here on an assignment, to reach the world with God’s love.
For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. Ephesians 2:10 (Amplified Bible)
Our Service to Ourselves
Let us make man in our image…Genesis 1:26 (KJV)
…Know
ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in
you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19(KJV)
So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering… Romans 12:1 (The Message)
Why did God make me, why am I here today, why was I born the year I was and not 5 years earlier (after all there is a space of 8 years between myself and my immediate elder sister.),and for goodness sakes why am I reading this?
Asking ourselves questions like this, no matter how foolish they sound will help us to know there is a purpose for our lives. You are packaged the way you are for a reason. Your skin colour, eye colour, height, nationality, ethnicity, education or lack of it and even accent are there for a purpose-God’s purpose. Your lips have got better use than being the show glass for the latest Estée lauder Lipstick.
Having the knowledge that we have a maker who made us for a particular purpose will help us in how we treat ourselves. You don’t belong to you, Oyin does not belong to Oyin, and neither does funmi belong to Funmi. The bible says ‘you are not of yourself’ you belong to God and like the servants whose master gave talents to, your endowments and all you’ve got are like a lease to you from God. You are going to give an explanation of what you did what God’s gifts to you –your existence.
The best we can do for ourselves is to allow our minds to be God and not world controlled. Many things crave for our attention in this world, and sad to say most of them are anti-God. Our flesh tells us to indulge it rather than indulge in God’s ways. The media is filled with unholy stuff; immoral sex is used to advertise everything from Coca-Cola to Stargate Enterprise.
Paul knew this when he wrote that the flesh wrestles against the spirit and vice-versa. I often hear people say ‘I want to do God’s will, but it is difficult’. As long as we live in the flesh, following every dictate of our environment we cannot do God’s will, the way to please God is by thinking in line with the word of God. See what the Bible says about this
Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. Romans 12:2 (Amplified Bible)
The best gift we can give to ourselves is concentration on God, ‘be still and know that I am God’ your mind controls your actions so set you mind on God and your action will follow suit. Jesus asks us to set our heart on things above. Get god involved in your everyday life. Maintain a healthy prayer and Bible Study habit, hang out with God-fearing people who will keep encouraging and pointing you in the right direction.
A Yoruba proverb says a sheep that befriends a dog will eventually eat dung (like the dog). You cannot make the wrong people your closest companions and expect to see an improvement in your life. God says in proverbs that ‘a companion of fools will be destroyed’. You need to focus on pleasing God. Do yourself a favour stop copying the world; you are not the same you are heading in different directions.
In conclusion our service to ourselves should be to glorify God in the way we think, act, speak, dress and relate with others. God is interested in your off-Sunday activities, your job, sex life, eating habits, relationships and all that you do. A body submitted to God’s rule is unlikely to rot in sickness and in hell. Give God the opportunity of looking at you and nod his head in approval of what you are doing. Remember your life belongs to Him and you will stand before him someday to give an account of your attitude to yourself.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's
mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing
to God—this is true worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you
will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good,
pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:1-2 (Today’s New International Version)