MORNING MANNA 4-26-22
THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING GOD
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” – 1 Timothy 1:12-15
These verses have been precious to me since I became a Christian. Everyday I thank God for the gift of eternal life, the gift of life, the gifts of life, and the privilege to serve God. Serving God is a blessing rather than a burden.
I feel like the little boy in this story told by Paul Chappell. He said “I read about a family who were planning to go on an extended vacation. They asked the nine year old neighbor to take care of the dog while they were gone. They carefully explained all that would be involved—feeding, watering, grooming, walking, and lots of play—and what their expectations were. After all of that, they asked the boy what the job would be worth to him. He replied, “I’ll give you ten bucks.” Instead of getting paid for doing something he very much wanted to do, he was willing to pay to do it.”
Service for God is often costly, difficult, and sometimes even brings suffering. And yet it is a privilege, not just a duty. Getting to be part of His work is an honor rather than a burden. If we view it as such, then we will not be deterred by the cost of serving God, but instead will gladly pay it. Paul told the Christians at Corinth, “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved” (2 Corinthians 12:15).
God does not need our help to accomplish His purposes. We are not doing Him a favor when we serve Him, we are accepting a very high privilege He has given us. When the Queen of Sheba met Solomon she said, “Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom” (1 Kings 10:8). We serve One much greater than Solomon. We should serve God with an attitude of cheerful joy, recognizing the privilege He has given us to do so.
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
