What Does Service To God Look Like

Last updated on: January 27, 2025 at 11:56 am by Michele Howe

0 Comments

What Does Service To God Look Like 2025-01-27T11:56:51-06:00 Michele Howe

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6: 33, 34

Suppose someone you love were to say to you, “I don’t trust you. I don’t believe you love me and will care for me.” What an affront that would be to you! Yet that is what we are saying to God by our anxiety. Anxiety is a sin also because it is a lack of acceptance of God’s providence in our lives. God’s providence may be simply defined as God’s orchestrating all circumstances and events in His universe for His glory and the good of His people. Instead we tend to focus on the immediate causes of our anxiety rather than remembering that those immediate causes are under the sovereign control of God.

Jerry Bridges

It doesn’t matter if we are brand new Christ followers or seasoned Christians of many years. From the first day we repent and believe Jesus as Lord and Savior as the one who rescued us from our sins and forgave us, we need his constant and steady supply of grace and strength and wisdom and insight every hour. We always will.

We Serve God With God’s Enabling Grace

What we sometimes mistakenly believe (or simply forget) is that the bible tells us we are always in need of God’s supernatural grace and strength for every task we undertake. No matter what task we undertake to accomplish our inner spiritual need is the same. Certainly, we will grow, we will gain experience, and we will mature. But our inner spiritual posture should always be one of humility and complete dependence upon God.

Humility And Dependence Are Good Things

As we take on the correct humble and dependent posture before the Lord, we will watch our worry and our anxiety slip away because we know (in the deepest recesses of our heart and mind) that anything good we do is because God is doing the good work in and through us.

We Are Always Dependent Upon God For Strength

Yes, we work hard to be a servant in today’s world by properly training and preparing in our area of service. But as diligently as we labor to show ourselves approved onto God as a worthy laborer, we must be as keenly aware of our complete dependence upon God to enable us to do the work set before us. We work as if all depended upon us. We exercise our faith muscles by leaning fully on the grace of God knowing it is he who equips us to complete the work.

Take-away Action Thought

Today, I will begin my day by doing my best to fully prepare for the work and responsibilities before me. Part of that preparation will include spending time in prayer asking the Lord to guide me with his wisdom, his words, and an awareness of my complete dependence upon him to complete the work he has given me.

A Prayer of Confession

Dear God, I’m not sure I’ll ever feel ready to begin serving you. I want to have the confidence and experience I need to move into this new area of ministry but I worry I’ll fail. Please help me to do my part in training and preparation and then leave the rest in your hands. I know that I can do all the right things to get ready to serve but still I will make mistakes. Clothe me with a humble, dependent spirit that is fully aware of how much I must rely on you every day, every hour, no matter what I put my hand to do. I am your child and I long to honor you by trusting you because you are worthy of my trust. Amen.

General Christian

Family, Parenting and Religion

About Michele Howe

Michele Howe is the author of 29 books for women, children, and families. She has published over 3000 articles, reviews, and curriculum. Her book, Serving As Jesus Served, guides readers to learning how to best use their gifts and talents to serve and encourage others. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

January 20, 2025

Bartering: A Dynamic Feminine Practice