Long term, truly serving God is the most rewarding thing you can do but it often isn’t easy and it isn’t supposed to be.
As Christians, we are all called to serve God, in some way. There are absolutely no exceptions to that, none. I am not saying that everyone is called to full time ministry. I am not saying that you should do absolutely everything that your church asks you to do. On the other hand, some may be called to full time ministry who haven’t even considered the possibility and many of us need to do things that the church hasn’t asked us to do. We shouldn’t do what we want to do or even what the church wants us to do. We should do what God wants us to do. After all, both us as individuals and the church as a whole belong to Him. The things that we choose to do and not to do should reflect that reality.
Before I talk about why you should serve, let me say a little about why you should not serve. Talking about people not serving may seem unnecessary, as it seams like the majority of people in the church already don’t serve. That certainly is a problem, a big one and a rather obvious one, but that also leads to another problem, one that may not be so obvious.
Because so many don’t serve, many of those who do serve tend to do what I’ll call “over serve”. I don’t mean that they are spending too much time in God’s service. I mean that they are serving in areas that they are not called to serve in because others, who are called to serve in those areas, don’t step up and do it. So, they are serving out of guilt, and that’s the wrong reason to serve. If you feel God calling you to step up and fill a need, by all means, do it, but Do not do something simply because someone tells you “we can’t get anybody else to do it”. If you are doing things you aren’t called to do, you may find yourself getting burned out and you may slow down in the areas that you are called to serve in or you may even stop serving all together. It certainly happens and it’s tragic.
There is another reason why some people “over serve”. Pride. There are people who quickly volunteer to do everything that comes up and if not enough comes up, they will create more to do on their own. They wear this like a badge of honor. They half heartedly complain about all the things they have to do and that’s their not so subtle way of telling you just how much they are doing. As I’m describing this person, a person or two in your church probably comes to mind and, if not, maybe I’m describing you. If you try to take on every task that comes up, without truly prayerfully considering first whether you should do it, you may end up serving in areas you aren’t truly called to serve in. Consequently, you may not minister as effectively in those areas as those who are uniquely gifted and called to serve there. You also may be robbing blessings from the people who are truly called to serve there.
1 Corinthians 15
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
There is nothing at all wrong with very diligently being about God’s work. In fact, we are commanded to do that. However, our motivation for doing the work that we are doing does matter.
It also matters why we don’t do what we don’t do. Fear is sometimes a motivating factor when deciding not to do things in God’s service and that should not be. Often, someone will say something like this.
“They asked me to do this. I thought about it and prayed about it and I decided not to do it because I just didn’t have a peace about it.”
Now, not having a peace about something certainly can be a valid reason for not doing it. It depends on what we are calling “peace” in the given situation. If I am truly seeking the guidance of the Spirit and I am doing that in a spirit of submission to His will and I deeply feel Him telling me not to do something, then I shouldn’t do it. However, all too often, when I say “I don’t have a peace about doing this”, when it really comes down to it, I really mean, “the thought of doing this scares me”. Fear is not a valid reason for not serving.
2 Timothy 1
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
God very well may lead you not to do something but He will not do that through fear. Being afraid to do something in His service is not a valid reason not to do it. We call Jesus “Lord”, which means “master”. If He is to truly be our mastor, we can’t just serve when we are comfortable with the type of work He is asking us to do.
Look at what happened to Jesus just a few hours before His crucifixion.
Luke 22
41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed,
42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.
44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Struggling with the decision to do what God is asking of you is OK. Even Jesus Himself, who never sinned, on the night before His crucifixion, struggled with obedience to the Father’s plan. He did what we all should do in this situation. He began to pray.
In Luke 22:42, Jesus asked God the Father that, if it were possible, this cup pass from Him, in other words, that our redemption be accomplished another way, if there was another way. Given what Jesus was about to endure, I think we can all understand that. But notice that, even in the middle of such discomfort, the will of the Father was still paramount to Him. He said “Father, if it is Your will” and “not My will, but Yours, be done”. He made His request but, ultimately, He left it in the Father’s hands. So should we.
The Father did respond to Jesus’ prayer. In verse 43, an angel appeared and ministered to Jesus, strengthening Him. When we struggle with obedience to God’s will, He will also strengthen us, if we ask and if, as for Jesus, His will is of paramount importance to us. He will give us the strength to do what He is asking of us. That still doesn’t necessarily mean we will be comfortable with it though.
Notice that, even after the angel strengthened Him, Jesus still wasn’t comfortable with what was about to happen. Verse 44 says that He was in agony and He began to pray even more earnestly and, as He did that, His sweat became like drops of blood. This is not a figure of speech. Although it is very rare, sweat containing blood is a real medical phenomena. It is called hematidrosis and occurs when someone is under very extreme stress, much more than a person normally ever experiences. In those moments, Jesus was probably facing what was required of Him, in order to purchase our freedom, to a greater degree than He had ever done before. After all, at this point, it was only hours away.
Jesus wanted, if possible, for this to be done another way. However, there was no other way and Jesus was completely obedient to the Father’s will. This led to more suffering than anyone has ever endured but it also led to our redemption through the shedding of His blood.
Everyone struggles. What ultimately matters is your obedience to Christ and how you live your life for Him, despite the struggles. God will often ask you to do things that you are not at all comfortable with and He will put you in situations where you will really want Him to perform the task another way or, even better, using someone else. He will give you the strength to do what He is asking of you and, long term, you will find great joy in doing His will.
I’m not saying you will get to the point where you are always comfortable doing what He is asking. I am called to full time Christian ministry and speaking is a big part of the ministry He has called me to. I am also an introvert who is completely blind in both eyes. I am not comfortable in crowds. I can’t see if someone is reaching to shake my hand and I sometimes can’t tell if it is me they are speaking to. I am certainly not at ease standing in front of crowds. I cannot use notes extensively when I speak so the majority of my material and Scripture has to come from memory. As if that isn’t bad enough, I have to take a anti-seizure medicine that effects my memory. I can’t make eye contact and I can’t see the faces in the crowd to be able to tell if I am engaging them or not. Preaching in a revival, being a little scared to be standing up there in the first place, not being able to use notes extensively, not being able to tell if I am engaging the people, and knowing that any moment I may forget a key portion of Scripture and look like a idiot. Does that sound fun to you? Not to me either and I don’t always enjoy it. However, I am called to serve Him, not to have fun. But you know what? Although it often isn’t fun, God has blessed it, He has changed lives through it, and I get more joy out of it than anything else I have ever done. This is what I’m called to and it is what I will do for the rest of my life.
2 Corinthians 12
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Here’s what’s so great about being called to do something that I’m sometimes not all that comfortable with and that I wouldn’t naturally be good at. It allows what I’m doing to exude a power greater than any I could ever exert. It forces me to move aside and make room for Him. It forces me to rely on His power to do the work and then give Him the glory for what is accomplished.
Once, relatively early in my ministry, someone took me aside and wanted to talk about his having heard me speak a few months previous. He said “what you said that night changed my life for ever”. As I told this man, What I said didn’t change his life, no human has the power to change lives, the power of God changed his life. It’s awesome to be a part of something that God uses to transform lives, to know that God is working through me to do work that is of eternal significants. And maybe the best part is that it isn’t dependent on me, it’s totally dependent on Him, so I can’t mess it up and He won’t mess it up. That’s very comforting.
Many times, Jesus told us to take up our cross and follow Him. For most of us, taking up our cross isn’t anything dramatic like it was for Him. It’s dealing with the struggles in our every day lives and remaining true to Him. It’s sacrificing whatever we have to in order to do what He asks of us. It’s repenting of those pet sins that we try to hang on to while telling ourselves that we’re OK. It’s struggling to live in a sinful world but not being of that world, so that we can serve as His light to that world. If all of us who proclaim His name actually did that, this world would be a much different and better place. And we all can do that but only in obedience to Him and through His power.
So, what’s He asking you to do that you aren’t comfortable with? If you don’t really want to do something and yet you still feel Him calling you to do it, that’s a good sign that the call is from Him and not just from your own emotions. It isn’t the only sign you should look for. Get in His Word and make sure that what you’re contemplating lines up with Scripture. Seek the council of someone who you know to be a Christian and who, based on the way they live their life, you believe to be walking closely with Him. In the end, do what God wants and, if you aren’t really comfortable with it, so much the better. Whether you are serving in the parking lot, the kitchen, a Sunday school class, the children’s or youth ministry, the pulpit, or some other area, He will use you in mighty ways and you will be blessed. Truly seek His will and do what He asks. You’ll be very glad you did.
