Serve
Now Playing: Who are we serving in our lives?
Topic: Service
Every one of us have responsibilities, whether to our parents, our employer, to our government, or to a close family member. But not all service is easy or fun, and we need to consider how we are truly serving in our lives. When we get away from the Lord, we can end up "serving sin", and throw our energies into that which will one day be "burned up" (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).

We are admonished in the book of Exodus, "(v.24) Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. (v.25) And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and He shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. (v.26) There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil. (v.27) I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. (v.28) And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. (v.29) I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. (v.30) By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land." (Exodus 23:24-30)

Moses recorded in the book of Deuteronomy, "(v.6) I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. (v.7) Thou shalt have none other gods before me. (v.8) Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: (v.9) Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, (v.10) And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments" (Deuteronomy 5:6-10).

"(v.11) And the LORD said unto me, 'Arise, take thy journey before the people, that they may go in and possess the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give unto them.' (v.12) And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, (v.13) To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? (v.14) Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is. (v.15) Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and He chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day. (v.19) Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. (v.20) Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to Him shalt thou cleave, and swear by His name. (v.21) He is thy praise, and He is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen. (v.22) Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude." (Deuteronomy 10:11-15, 19-22)

Joshua has recorded in the book that bears his name, "(v.12) And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow. (v.13) And I have given you a land for which ye did not labor, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat. (v.14) Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. (v.15) And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (v.16) And the people answered and said, 'God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;' (v.17) For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed: (v.18) And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God." (Joshua 24:12-18)

Samuel has written, "(v.3) And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, 'If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only:' and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. (v.4) Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only. (v.5) And Samuel said, 'Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD.' (v.6) And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, 'We have sinned against the LORD.' And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh." (1 Samuel 7:3-6)

The book of Chronicles records, "(v.29) Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. (v.30) And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD.(v.31) And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book. (v.32) And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. (v.33) And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel to serve, even to serve the LORD their God. And all his days they departed not from following the LORD, the God of their fathers." (2 Chronicles 34:29-33)

David wrote in the Psalms, "(v.1) Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.(v.2) Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. (v.3) Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. (v.4) Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. (v.5) For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations." (Psalm 100:1-5)

Daniel recorded for our blessing, "(v.13) Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. (v.14) Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, 'Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? (v.15) Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?' (v.16) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. (v.17) If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. (v.18) But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up'." (Daniel 3:13-18)

The gospels warn us, "(v.19) Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: (v.20) But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: (v.21) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (v.22) The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. (v.23) But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! (v.24) No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Matthew 6:19-24) "(v.25) He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. (v.26) If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour." (John 12:25-26)

Paul has written in his epistles, "(v.17) Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. (v.18) For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. (v.19) For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil." (Romans 16:17-19) "(v.23) And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; (v.24) Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." (Colossians 3:23-24)

The book of Hebrews tells us, "(v.11) But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; (v.12) Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. (v.13) For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: (v.14) How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Hebrews 9:10-14) "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:" (Hebrews 12:28). May we each desire to serve Him in the fear of the Lord!

Work in progress...