“Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.” (Ephesians 6:7-8 NLT)
Service for the Lord comes in all shapes, sizes, and levels of difficulty. For some, serving the Lord is a local matter and may include things like volunteering at church, school, a hospital or Nursing Home, raising kids or other worthwhile causes. But for some, serving the Lord becomes a family adventure that leads them to foreign soil.
Often, we think of “serving the Lord,” as “ministry,” which, in many people’s minds, is for the “pros,” but that’s not the way the Lord views it. “Ministry,” as understood from a Biblical perspective means essentially, we’re to “bloom where we’re planted,” in the sense, God has us exactly where He wants us and expects us to be His “instrument” to do whatever He’s planted us there to do.
“Ministry” in Scripture literally means “service.” And service isn’t reserved for Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists, and Prophets, those are simply areas of service to which some are called. Regardless of who we are as a child of God, at least two things are true: First, we’re God’s blood bought child and, secondly, we’re called and equipped to serve in some capacity.
John Calvin reminds us: “The highest honor in the church is not government but service.” My perspective is, especially in the day in which we live, the highest honor ANYWHERE, not just in the church, is to serve the Lord. But another factor in our service is to whom is the honor deflected? In other words, what is our motive for doing our service to the Lord? Is it truly to point people to Jesus, or to us?
Brother Calvin also wrote: “We never truly glory in God until we have utterly discarded our own glory.” Honor isn’t only received; it’s also given. We honor God when we acknowledge with our attitude and actions that He alone is worthy. We often use glory interchangeably with honor, and that’s fine in the right context. But there is also a sense, especially when used in reference to the Lord, that “glory” can also be understood or is interchangeable with “presence.”
To “Glorify” and “Honor” the Lord, regardless of setting or circumstance, is to work or serve as in His presence. We serve an audience of ONE. We seek no one’s attention or recognition, save His. To brag or even mention that we’ve done something for the Lord, in my mind, is to distract from His honor, glory, and recognition.
He rewards things done for Him in secret (Matthew 6:3-4), but, admittedly, there are things like preaching a sermon, greeting, caring for children, teaching a class, and many other ways we seek to serve where we can’t be “unseen.” In those instances, we just don’t draw undue attention to ourselves. And, by the way, you and I both know when we do that! 😊
Humility isn’t a performance to be rewarded, it’s an attitude of our heart to be privately, but passionately pursued. It’s a gift from God for those who treasure Him more than they treasure themselves.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 