Silent Service

Your service to the Lord need not be in the spotlight. I have gone to church this morning after a long absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I am so blessed by the message that I would like to share it here with some thoughts of my own. Basically, the message today was about serving God sincerely without the need for public acknowledgement or commendation. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” -Colossians 3:23. Wherever you are and in whatever way you choose to serve God, the best motivation is doing it for God and not for yourself or for other people. This could only be possible if your heart flows with love for God more than love for self. If your heart seeks to glorify God, it has no more place for self-seeking and selfish ambitions. The need for recognition from people around you pales in comparison for the deep desire to please God. A heart that delights in God is not content with praises of man but gets its full satisfaction on the applause of the King.

Serve God with your gift. “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.” -1 Corinthians 12:4-6. “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” -1 Corinthians 12:12. “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts.” -1 Corinthians 12:27-31. The Bible makes it clear that the church consists of many members with varied gifts. Each member was given a gift by God for the purpose of serving and building each other up. No gift is above the other. No one is better than the other. Each member of the body has a significant role to play in the growth of the church. Each one has his own place and unique role to bring encouragement, blessing, and help to another. Your church membership is not just to attend church every Sunday and listen to the sermon of the Pastor. You are created for more than that. You are created to do good works in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:10). Part of doing good work is serving God using your gift, whatever that may be. “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” -Romans 12:4-8. “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,  to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” -Ephesians 4:11-14. Use your gift to serve God with zeal and ferventness. “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” -Romans 12:11. Being zealous and fervent in your service to God means you serve with great enthusiasm and passion. How excited and glad are you to be serving God even when your service is not noticed by the crowd? How full is your spirit when you serve God with all your heart even without recognition or acknowledgement? Sometimes, you serve and you get involved because of people’s expectation or because you long for recognition. But true service in God is serving God with zeal even when only you and God knows about your good work.