Langata Rd, Opposite Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi, Kenya.
Deuteronomy 10:12-13, “What does the Lord your God require of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?”
Today, we begin to address ourselves to the subject of Christ Sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus Christ. I will still sustain the call to Service. Considering the sacrifice Jesus made for our redemption, Should we really expect Him to give freely to us without asking anything in return?
Whereas we acknowledge the fact that salvation is the free gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast, should we really expect love, without loving Him back? Is it proper to to claim we love Him, and we are His, without actions that demonstrate our commitment materially. How can we just expect God’s love, protection and blessings without a determination to passionately loving Him back by supporting His mission and purpose.
Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
God is Worthy of our wholehearted Service
If we believe God to be our Creator, then we must understand that He has a certain authority over us. The one that creates is over the one that’s created. When we belong to someone, they have a say in our lives. We belong to our parents and to our employers and they both have a say. So, when we come to the realization that He is the Lord (the boss) to whom all heaven and earth belong, we understand how He has the right to ask so much of us.
Let us examine the benefits that become ours when we serve God with the hope that it will provoke us to intensify our commitment to His purpose.
a) As we love, Obey and serve God, Our Health is Preserved
3 Johns 2:1, “ Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers“
Exodus 23:25, ““So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you.”
b) As we love, Obey and Serve God We Enjoy Divine Protection
Daniel 6: 20 - 22, “And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”
Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”
When a decree was made, Daniel went into his room and started praying to God. This tells us that when we have a commitment with God, it is important to keep it.
c) As we Love, Obey and Serve God, We Attract Honour from Him.
God Honors everyone that serves Him
John 12:26, “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
God honors everyone that serve him consistently.
d) As we love, obey and serve God , We attract Divine Rewards
Revelation 22:12-13, ““And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”
There is a reward for everyone, therefore work to receive your own reward.
e) As we love, obey and serve God, we receive Divine Support
1 King 19:7-8, “And the angel of the LORD came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.”
God supported Elisha at the point of his weariness.
God is Worthy our Love, Obedience and Service
Romans 9:20-21, “Who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Does the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
Once we realize He is our Creator, then we understand His authority. Then, when we see His power, we fear enough to obey.
2 Kings 35 -39, “You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them. But the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, Him you shall worship, and to Him you shall offer sacrifice. The statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall be careful to observe forever. You shall not fear other gods. But the Lord your God you shall fear and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”
After we feel His love towards us and see Him do miraculous things just for us, then we fall in love with Him in return.
1 John 4:19, “We love Him because He first loved us.
Our Reasonable Response to God’s Unique Love through Christ.
So, it sounds like He is asking a lot. But when we really understand who He is and what He does, then these things just naturally follow and are really should be our only reasonable response.
Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service”
Following Him no longer feels like an obligation, but a strong desire to return the love He has for us back to Him.
I John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments and they are not burdensome”
As we spend time with Him and experience His greatness, impartiality, and justice, we begin to act with justice and impartiality towards each other, as He also commanded.
Ephesians 5:2, “Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us”
When we see His kindness towards those who have no father or husband, to those who feel out of place or without a home to call their own, we have compassion on them, loving and helping them just as He does.
1 John 4:12, “If we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us”
It is the Context of God Abiding in us, that His love for one another is perfected.
Now, if you read all these requirements and you understand why God asks so much of us, but now feel guilty because you don’t love or serve Him like you should, know this is normal and there’s something you can do about it. Love is a feeling yes, but growing love requires action. So most likely, if you don’t love or serve God as you should, it’s because you just don’t know Him that well yet.
So, just seek to know Him better. Read His Word even if you don’t “feel” like it. Pay attention to who He is and what He does as you are reading. Highlight or make a list if it helps you.
Jeremiah 29:12-13, “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Now meditate on those things. Praise Him for what you now know of Him. Open your heart to hear Him. Talk to Him and talk about Him to others. Seek out experiences with Him. If you do this, your love for God will grow and your service will be the natural overflow of it.