All of us Christians are called to serve the Lord in any given capacity, using the gifts that He has bestowed on us. While some are designed for frontline service and others for behind the scenes action, all of us have been designed to do good works that will bring praise to our God and Father, as well as bring fulfillment to our very lives. Exciting, isn't it?
Serving the Lord has its shares of ups and downs. All of us will face some amount of hardship in reaching our goals, some temptation from the enemy, and a lot of encouragement that comes from the Lord Himself, who is the "God of all comfort."
Great thing is that through it all, He promised to never leave us or forsake us, and has assured us that He causes all things to work together so that we would become more like Christ.
To help in our growth as servants of the Most High God, here are some truths that we should remember and stand upon.
1. God is our Master
Higher than any human master such as the company CEO or the immediate supervisor, Jesus Christ is our ultimate Master, the One we call "Lord." Our service ultimately goes to Him. Whatever we do in our jobs and for our bosses, we should do for the Lord (see Ephesians 6:5-9).
2. God is the one who provides us with strength to work
God is the One who gives us the power to work and produce wealth (see Deuteronomy 8:18). He is the One providing us with strength to be excellent in our service for the good of others, our own good, and God's glory.
3. God has given us the skills we need for whatever task
God has specifically designed all of us for good works, things which have been prepared in advance for us to do (see Ephesians 2:10). This means that God has already embedded in us the aptitude and potentials we need to succeed in the endeavours that He gives to us. We should strive to develop our God-given skills to be able to use them.
4. God is not a slave driver
God is not a slave driver who exacts relentless and strict punishment for failures and shortcomings as we work and serve, although He doesn't approve of laziness and outright sinfulness. God is very gracious, and understands that we have our limits. In fact, He is the one who designed us with our limits, so that we should learn to lean on Him for help. So don't be too harsh on yourself – God will help you grow in Christ-likeness over time as you submit to Him (see Philippians 1:6).
5. God is our reward
At the end of it all, Jesus Christ is waiting for us at the finish line. All that we need to do is to do our best to live a life of holiness, pursuing God with all delight and gusto. Pursue Him at all times (see Philippians 3:14).
