@ LibertyGal
2025-02-12 17:38:19
All of us who have truly put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ want to serve Him, but we all live busy lives. We all get distracted by making a living, taking care of our families, and other good things, but too often we spend so much time on the good that we miss out on the best (see “[Don’t Be Like Martha](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/dont-be-like-martha)”). In this previous post, I wrote about how we don’t want to live. In this post, I’ll write about what the Bible says about living a life wholly devoted to God.
Many of us wonder, “Are we fully serving God if we aren’t in full time ministry, if we aren’t a pastor/priest, missionary, or if we don’t work for a Christian ministry?” There are many ways we can serve God. Sometimes we are called to a Christian “job,” but other times we serve God in other ways.
> Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. **Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father**. (Colossians 3:16-17) {emphasis mine}
The most important thing is that everything we do has a godly focus. We should follow God’s design for marriage and family. We should disciple our children to know and grow in Jesus. We should witness to those with whom we come in contact. We should give to support those who are working in full-time ministry. Even our jobs can be done in service to the Lord, no matter how trivial or unrelated that job might seem.
> **Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men**, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. (Colossians 3:23-24) {emphasis mine}
I’m an employer. I see the work ethic, or more often the lack of work ethic, in people. I notice those who work hard and always give their best versus those who do the minimum they need to do to keep their job. When a person lets everyone around them know that they are a Christian and then they work harder than everyone else and they are willing to do the undesirable tasks that need to be done, this is noticed and is a good witness. Sadly, too often Christians are known for not working as hard and not going the extra mile. These Christians give Jesus and all Christians a bad name. Whatever job God has given you, do it to the best of your ability. Do the extra task; do the undesirable task; do the task that should’ve been done by someone else. Put in the extra effort even if nobody seems to notice. In most case, even if you aren’t praised, appreciated, or appropriately rewarded, people do notice and your witness is enhanced. In all cases, Jesus notices and you will be rewarded in heaven for representing Him faithfully.
> Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, **do all to the glory of God**. (1 Corinthians 10:31) {emphasis mine}
We are to do everything we do to the God’s glory. The way we work should glorify God. The way we eat and drink should glorify God. The way we do rest and entertainment should glorify God. The way we interact with others should glorify God. We were designed to glorify God.
Too often we get busy doing life and leave God out of it. It isn’t that we are doing some terrible sin, but it is always wrong to leave God out of our life. We can even do Christian ministry and get so busy doing “God’s work” that we leave God out of it. This can be disastrous and definitely will damage ministry effectiveness. In everything we do, we should listen to God’s leading, whether through Bible reading, prayer, or being still and listening.
> The plans of the heart belong to man,\
> But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.\
> All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight,\
> But the Lord weighs the motives.\
****Commit your works to the Lord\
> And your plans will be established**. (Proverbs 16:1-3) {emphasis mine}
Part of doing everything in and to the Lord is changing our hearts and minds. Psalm 37 lists several actions we can take in serving the Lord and becoming more like Him.
> **Delight yourself in the Lord**;\
> And He will give you the desires of your heart.\
****Commit your way to the Lord**,\
****Trust also in Him**, and He will do it.\
> He will bring forth your righteousness as the light\
> And your judgment as the noonday.\
****Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him**;\
****Do not fret** because of him who prospers in his way,\
> Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.\
****Cease from anger and forsake wrath**;\
> Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. (Psalm 37:4-8) {emphasis mine}
If we delight in the Lord, commit our way to the Lord, trust in Him, rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for the Lord, we will be in the right mind to serve Him in all that we do. It will also help us avoid the things that draw us away from the Lord. We are called to not fret, to cease from anger, and to forsake wrath. Fretting, anger, and wrath hurt our witness and draw us away from God. They are a sign that our hearts are not in tune with God and that we need to turn back to Him. They are a sign that we are not trusting in Him nor are we following His will.
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Sometimes believers wonder if they are succeeding in doing anything for the Lord because they are shy and not good at witnessing or because they have personal circumstances (like sickness of themselves or their family members) that don’t allow them to do much. That doesn’t mean there is nothing these believers can do. We can support those doing the mission of God. We can give money to support missionaries, churches, and Christian ministries. We can house a missionary while they are on break. We can do behind the scenes tasks like cleaning, accounting, organizing, planning, etc.
Most importantly, we can all pray. Prayer should be a constant part of every day, whether we are infirm and unable to leave our bed, whether we are so busy we don’t have five minutes to sit and take a break, or whether we are in full time Christian ministry. We can’t faithfully serve God without prayer.
> Beloved, **you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren**, and especially *when they are* strangers; and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore **we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth**. (3 John 1:5-8) {emphasis mine}
Anyone who supports those in ministry will receive similar rewards to those in ministry because they are all working together to fulfill God’s will.
> He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. (Matthew 10:41)
We often feel like we are failing God. We feel that we are making zero difference for the kingdom. If you are not growing in your faith, knowledge, and relationship with God, there may be some truth in this, but we also may be listening to the accuser, Satan. Keep in mind that every little thing you do for Jesus or for others, because of your faith in Jesus, is counted as faithful service to Him.
> “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘**Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me**.’ (Matthew 25:34-40) {emphasis mine}
Turn to Jesus. Pray to Jesus. Read His word —the Bible. Make Him a part of everything you do. Follow His leading. Join God in what He is doing.
May God bless you and lead you in the path He designed you to take.
Trust Jesus.