Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. John 12:42–43
I suppose we all have particular problems in our lives that always seem to plague us. It may be that you are bad at managing your money, your time, or your weight. If we know how to fix these problems, why don’t we? You might try to make small installments to pay down your debt, but because it’s such a slow process, the returns don’t seem worth the effort. You might try to lose weight with long, rigorous workouts once every month or so, but because you don’t sustain the activity, it doesn’t help. In most cases like these, we know what we need to do, but because other things are more urgent, we choose to ignore the problem until we reach a point and decide, “Enough is enough! I’m getting serious about this!” It is only at this point that we resolve to make the lifestyle changes necessary to produce the desired result. What about our service to God? Many want to have a better relationship with God and a greater understanding of His will, but we have to decide we are going to be serious about it first.
There is nothing more important in life than serving God. Near the end of a life spent searching for something truly meaningful, the wisest man ever to live concluded that to “fear God and keep his commandments” is “man’s all” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). If serving God is our entire purpose for existing, where should it rank on our list of priorities? Does it look like a top priority in your plans for today? When I realize that my life is for the single purpose of loving and obeying God, that principle will be evident in every aspect of my life: my work, my relationships, my recreation, my speech, my everything! Paul tells us that we will all stand before the judgment seat and that the one criterion to be considered is our works (2 Corinthians 5:10). We should also consider that any treasures for which we labor on this earth will rust or corrode if they are not first stolen or destroyed (Matthew 6:19). Maybe you realize that you have spent too much of your life chasing a goal that isn’t really worth pursuing. Why not set some new goals that are worthwhile?
What does it take to serve God the way He desires? We should first understand that we cannot have a better master. While other masters may oppress us and hold us in bondage, Jesus said, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:33). To serve God, we must deny any other master we may be serving. God made this clear to Israel from the very beginning (Exodus 20:2–3). Elijah asked the people, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, follow him” (1 Kings 18:22). Are there masters in your life you need to deny before you can serve God with true dedication? To serve God, we must also deny ourselves. Our service to God requires that we present our very bodies as “a living sacrifice” to God and that we allow Him to completely transform us (Romans 12:1–2). Even then, Jesus says, “when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ” (Luke 17:10). Serving God requires great sacrifice, but nothing else we may covet can compare with what we gain in Christ (Philippians 3:7–8)!
The prodigal son didn’t get serious about doing something about his condition until he reached rock bottom. Please don’t let sin take you that far. When we serve sin, we receive its wages, but when we become servants of God, our Master gives us everlasting life (Romans 6:20–23)!