Is it any real marvel that we serve a God whom all are bound to serve, does it set us on a higher plateau because we have chosen of our own free will to submit to the creator of all reality in every aspect of our lives, while others continue to deny Him, when they also will serve.
“The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.” (Psalm 89:11) Everything that is belongs to God, no one can deny this, and for those who attempt to, they will find out on the day that they stand before Him they were incorrect. “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (Ezek. 18:4) So, why do some who serve Christ see it almost as if it is a benefit to Him, as if they are doing something out of the ordinary, something that should be seen by the Lord as some sort of great advantage to Him. This path may begin simply enough, believing ourselves to be more than what we actually are, but it will end if not unchecked with the sin of spiritual pride, and a self-centered vanity that falsely professes that it is from the Lord
It maybe difficult for some to accept this, but even the lost who will die in their sins serve the will of the Lord God, these vessels fitted for destruction (Rom. 9:22) are as bound to serve Him throughout all of eternity as we who have been chosen by His grace are. We who serve here are serving of our own free will, and the extent of that service has been left completely up to us, we are under no obligation to serve, those who choose not to in their submission to Him will still be saved, but as by fire. (1st Cor. 3:15) I realize that this may be misinterpreted by some, for it seems to say that those who serve have a choice to serve, when the opening statement of this letter clearly stated that all are bound to serve, but there is in no way a contradiction of terms here, we are free to serve and bound to that service at the same time.
Every person who has lived and died since Christ rose from the dead has gone immediately after their death either to hell or to heaven, there are no exceptions, there is no purgatory, no reincarnation, no second chances, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” (Heb. 9:27) we are bound to the will of God to enter into damnation or into His eternal presence. I will not delve into the doctrine of election here, but suffice it to say that no one comes to the Father but by Jesus Christ, (John 14:6) and no man can come unto Him unless he is called by God. “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44) Those that He draws unto Him have been given the opportunity to serve Him, by and of their own free will, no one is forced to love and serve the Lord, it must be our choice.
Here is where the perplexity seems to abound in some, they tend to believe that since they have been saved by grace through faith, (Eph. 2:8) that is where their service ends, they have their key to get into heaven, as it were, and so they are bound to no further action. The problem that seems to be with many of these individuals is that they tend to have no assurance of their salvation, and so they begin to believe that through their own “good works” they will be accepted, and nothing could be further from the truth, They in other words feel bound to seek the approval of the Lord, when in fact, if they truly have been born-again, all the work has already been done for them on the cross.
To those who will never accept Christ as Lord, they also serve a purpose, the eternal purpose is that they will be the vessels of His eternal wrath, the lake of fire has been prepared for them, the devil, and his angels. While they are still alive here on this earth, they also serve His purpose, these are the ones that the wrath of God abides on, (John 3:36) these are they whom the Lord uses to show His wonderous power by hardening their hearts, these are given travail, (Eccl. 2:26) these are the ones that God is reserving His wrath for. “God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.” (Nahum 1:2) Those who by their own free will who choose the way of self and not the grace and mercy of God in Christ, are bound to serve God in His wrath, they will be reserved for eternity in suffering and separation from Him. They have done this of their own accord, for the invisible things of God (Rom. 1:20) they clearly saw, and disregarded the Holy one as of no regard.
Think on this my friends, for those who are saved, for those whose names are securely written for all eternity in the Lambs Book of life, how then are we bound to serve Christ, if indeed He never forces His will upon us, what is the tie that binds us to His will for us? It is us, we are the ones who have willingly bound ourselves to him, for we love him because He first loved us. (1st John 4:19) We are bound to serve Him of our own free will, we are the ones whose names are graven in the palms of His hands, (Isa. 49:16) we are the ones who were chosen before the foundation of the world, (Eph. 1:4) we are the ones who know as truth all of His promises, we are bound to Him by love.
All things are bound to serve the will of God, either by their own free will, or by His majestic power, all will serve. Every knee will bow before Him on that day, (Rom. 14:11) some by choice, some by force, but bend the knee they will. There have been many throughout history that have sworn to themselves that they will never serve our Lord, and there have been many who have worn their knees out in prayer, in gratitude, in faithful, willing service. All are bound to serve Almighty God, none can stand in His presence, but we who know of his love for us will never feel bound to Him in any other way than in love, and the service that we render to Him each and every day, in every way that we can, is never done out of fear, we never desire to be out of His presence even for a moment, for in His presence is fulness of joy.
It is no great wonder for us to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, it is our extreme honor and privilege to do so, the only wonder we have is why so many have chosen not to.
