Here is a statement I would ask you to ponder, “God serves well those who serve Him well.” It was part of the devotional that my wonderful wife read for us this morning, a habit I have grown quite fond of, starting off the day in the Word of God causes a man to ponder his place in the order of Christ’s kingdom, it causes those things in life that we feel as important to be placed in their proper perspective.
“I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word.” (Psalm 119:147) Do you believe this statement to be true, do you believe that those who serve Christ with vigor and intent of heart receive more blessings from Him than those who place the majority of their concerns on the things of the world. I believe that most people who claim Christ as Lord when thinking about the word “Blessings” instantly go to family and friends in their minds, those they surround themselves with whom they love, the materialistic items come next, but the spiritual ones are a little more difficult to express. How many times did our Lord inform the children of Jacob that the land He was leading them to was full of milk and honey, what did He allow Satan to remove from Job, what did the majority of those who sought Jesus seek Him out for, the material is nearly constantly at the forefront of our minds. And so for many, so long as they have health, loved ones around them, a roof over their head and provisions for the flesh, they serve well, but when one or more of these items are removed, their faith begins to falter, they start to question the good graces of God, they serve well only when they are served well.
A doubting heart cannot serve in full confidence, and it is the heart that the Lord God looks upon. “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7) He does not allow or bring upon us these trials and tribulations, these sorrows and troubles to see what we will do, to learn of how we will react in these situations, God Almighty inhabits eternity, all that has ever happened, is happening and will ever happen is present before Him at all times, our Father lives in an unbounded now. These circumstances are brought upon us to allow us to see where our faith truly lies, how much needs to be removed from you before your faith begins to either falter of grow.
For many, the perception of who God is, is based on how much he is either blessing or withholding blessings from them, many tend to take the same path that our brother Job did when all he loved and owned was removed from him, complain and question, it is a well-worn path in the heart of man. Few are able to emulate though what this man found on the dunghill that the Lord placed him on, the knowledge that God is Sovereign, that He does what He wants, when He wants, to whomever he wants to, no man can take God to court. (Job 9:32) You cannot hide from Almighty God, when He decides it’s time for you to learn a lesson about yourself, you will be shown that lesson in whatever form He deems necessary, what you learn from it is up to you, how you move on in your life from that moment is completely your choice, you can accept the truth you have been shown, or you can hide from it.
Job was shown a lesson that few have ever been blessed with, all belongs to Christ, if He decides to remove it all from you and leave you only with your life, and that barely, that is what He will do, it is how you determine within yourself the amount that you will continue to serve Him that shows us the lesson of who is serving who. If you are serving the Lord Jesus Christ because He is giving you things, the items of the world, your family and friends, your loved ones, your job, house, and other materialistic items, if you are serving Him because of the peace that surrounds you, the feelings of contentment and satisfaction that come with emotional stability, if you are serving Christ for any other reason beyond the fact that He is, then you are serving for the wrong reasons. We would not even exist if it were not for the Lord Jesus Christ, we have absolutely no right whatsoever to question the path He has placed us on, we have as much free will as He has allowed us to have, it is God who directs our steps, (Prov. 16:9) it is we who serve. Yet in mysterious ways that we cannot comprehend, the Sovereign Creator of all reality has decided to serve us, and the amount of that servitude towards us is based entirely on how much and how well our hearts desire to serve Him.
There are some who are in bondage to wheelchairs who serve more fully than those who can run for miles and never run out of breath, there are those who are unseen by the world that have received ten-fold more blessings than those who profess His name in the limelight. It is the heart that the Lord God looks upon, that thing inside of us that is deceitful and untrustworthy, (Jer. 17:9) that thing inside of us that does not need the sin nature we all carry with us to deny God, a truth shown to us by Adam, who had no concept of good and evil, yet chose the path of disobedience. God serves those well who serve Him well, blessings are bestowed upon those whose hearts seek the face of God simply because He is. It does not mean a nicer house and vehicle, though it may. “There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s.” (Mark 10:29) It does not mean a more sure emotional state, but it might, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:7) It may or may not come with security and a safe environment, we are promised no evil will befall us, (Psalm 91:10) those whom the Lord God Almighty serves are those who serve Him in all humility, who realize they are but dust, (Psalm 103:14) that there is only One who is self-sustaining, and that One has deemed us worthy to be accepted in His Son.
This is the man that God will serve mightily, this is the man who serves his God with all his being. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Gal. 6:7) Pride can find no resting spot in these letters I am commanded to write to you, pride needs to die completely in each and every one of God’s servants, in every area of their lives, it is the first step that must be taken before the Lord God will ever contemplate serving us. He desires to shower upon us all of His infinite gifts and blessings, but do not deceive yourself, do not think you will reap in heaven what you have not sown here, the amount of your treasures and rewards in heaven have been left completely up to your discretion, unless you “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, (Matt. 6:33) you will receive little here or there.
The servant of Christ who serves well is served well by his Lord, and will receive immeasurable blessings, both here and there, those who do not, will not. The choice, as it always has been, is up to you.
