Serve Wholeheartedly
I would like to continue exploring our vision statement…that in LOVE a disciple will…KNOW Christ completely, GROW in maturity, SERVE wholeheartedly and SHARE God personally. The past two months I have considered the KNOW and GROW aspects of our vision. This month, I would like to explore what it means to SERVE wholeheartedly.
I have been reading in the Old Testament this year and several times the people of Israel are called to the commitment to follow God. This comes at various times and places and with different issues at hand, but the underlying theme of giving one’s all to God is present. One such occasion was when David was preparing his son Solomon to succeed him as King. David spoke to Solomon and said,
“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever” (1 Chronicles 28:9, NIV). It was clear that he was to devote his life to the call of God and be about God’s work. The words “serve him with wholehearted devotion” give a picture of a pure, complete surrender of our feelings, will and intellect to the Lord for his glory and honor. Everything we do and say, think and feel, acknowledge and promote is to be devoted to the cause of Christ.
We don’t often think this way as Christians. Many times we find our lives consumed with our agendas, with our commitments to our family and the community, etc. I am not saying that this is bad in any way. Time for your enjoyment, for family fun and bonding is extremely important. I believe that we need to strike a balance of service and living that will honor God and will keep us focused on God’s agenda for our community and our very lives. In the name of Christ we serve our family, our neighbors, our community…everything we do becomes an avenue for serving our God.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son” (Romans 12:10-11, NLT). Serving begins with love (the basis for all that we do as a disciple) and leads to the diligent, energetic lifestyle of a disciple. Serving also grows to encompass a way of sharing the Good news to others. We have some credibility when we serve others. Tim Brown, pastor of First Baptist Church of Clovis, CA, talked about the early church (see Acts 2: 42-47). The church did good deeds (acts of service), which led to good will (credibility) in the community, which resulted this people responding to the good news (people were daily added to the number of disciples). Paul spoke to the church at Rome by saying “God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son” (Romans 1:9, NLT). Service opens the doors to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
As a disciple of Jesus Christ, we are called to follow His example. Mark’s gospel records Jesus’ words: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45, NIV). If it was good enough for Jesus…certainly it is good enough for you and me.
I really want to challenge each person at Pea Ridge to find a place to serve. You will be hearing more about this in the coming weeks…think about what God can do through the church as we all step up and do our part. We have been equipped by the Holy Spirit for this great work. I pray that God will be glorified as we give Him our very lives in service.