Gotta Serve Somebody
Serving the Lord Gladly
I always look forward to Tuesday mornings. At 8:29 AM (more or less 😊), the Christ Community Church staff team meets each week for just under an hour. Reason? Catch up, encouragement, ministry gains, a word from our Lord, and to pray.
Pastor Kip Hamby brought the scriptural refreshment this past week. A good word from several portions in the Word.
THE JOY OF SERVING
Psalm 100:2 “Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing!”
Just today, I ran into one of our Christ Community attenders who shared how inadequate she felt about serving in a responsibility she had, so she sang joyously in her car on the way, “There’s power in the blood!” Glad, Spirit-depending serving and joyful singing go together.
Psalm 40:8 “I delight to do your will, O my God. Your law is within my heart.”
The writer to the early Hebrew Christians noted that when he came into the world, this is what God’s Son said to God the Father (cf. Hebrews 10:5-7). Directed by the word, Jesus himself found great delight in doing exactly what God wanted him to do.
A WARNING ABOUT SERVING
Deuteronomy 28:47-48 “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you…in nakedness, lacking everything.”
This stern caution from Moses to ancient Israel warned that, abundantly provided for, should they not serve the Lord in their plenty, God would cause them, in destitution, to serve a conquering foe.
When our hearts are right, abundant provision should not turn us inward. Our opportunity is to serve the Lord and others out of that abundance, even with that overflow. After all, we are stewards of what belongs to God.
THE CHOICE TO SERVE
Bob Dylan, the enigmatic song writer, once claimed to believe in and follow Jesus, at least for a time. In that season, he produced an early album entitled Slow Train Coming. Its noted song, “Gotta Serve Somebody.”
You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes
Indeed you’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
A compelling refrain, to be sure. Inevitably, we do end up serving ourselves, or somebody, or some thing(s). Our hearts so capable of loving often attach, expressing costly devotion.
Jesus taught that none of us can serve both God and money. Depending on what we choose, we’ll end up hating either the Lord or the entrapment of possessions (Matthew 6:24). There’s no middle ground. Which will we serve?
As disciples of the greatest Servant the world has known, our joy is investing our lives in others. Living and sharing the gospel. Praying for the Spirit’s movement in our network of relationships. Encouraging fellow Christians on our sojourn home. Using the gifts the Holy Spirit gives, we can make a real difference at home, in the ministry of the body of Christ, in our community, and around the world.
During October and November, as we focus in Gather worship on CHOOSE GREATNESS—SERVE!, take a moment to smile in as you meet with the Lord. Let Him make your day! Thank Him for His call in your heart and life to serve Him and others…with gladness and joy.