It is the Day 29 of the 40Days of Return. Today I want to invite you into the exciting world of serving the Lord. It seems to me that God is currently rekindling the enthusiasm of his children towards him and his kingdom service. Too many people have become so cold.
The scripture says in Romans 12:11: Be enthusiastic to serve the Lord, keeping your passion toward him boiling hot! Radiate with the glow of the Holy Spirit and let him fill you with excitement as you serve him.
Be enthusiastic to serve the Lord
Serving the Lord is a privilege that God has given you. But it does not come first; accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior is the precursor to any service in God’s name. No one can serve God without first establishing a relationship with Him.
We come into a relationship with the Father through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. So, service, as important as it is, only comes after salvation. Putting service before salvation is like putting the cart before the horse. It is an impossible progress.
The scripture is clear that though you are not saved by service; you are saved to serve (Ephesians 2:10). There is a popular saying among the early saints, which says, ‘Saved to Serve’. The Lord is clear about the kind of attitude He expects of you and me in our service to the Lord.
First, the scripture says you must be enthusiastic in your service to God. Enthusiasm signifies being passionate and excited about serving the Lord. And it takes seeing service as a privilege for it to become a pleasure.
Imagine that the president of the United States of America has considered you for appointment into his cabinet. Or you have been asked to serve as the Ambassador of your country to another prestigious country. How elated will you be?
If that does not make you glad, think of something in this world you will be glad to be called upon to do for your country or the community of nations. No matter how important that might be to you, it is nothing compared to the privilege of being called to serve the Lord Almighty and the purposes of his kingdom.
keep your passion boiling hot!
Second, the Lord expects you not just to embrace his call to serve with enthusiasm, but to let that passionate excitement towards him continue to boil hot. No lukewarmness is allowed in God’s service. You cannot start well and then get stuck in lethargy; it is your duty to keep your passion for the Lord very hot.
How do you that? You remain connected to the Holy Spirit who is the source of the fire you need to keep boiling hot. You need to put fellowship before service, and put your relationship with God first.
Respect God’s order of relationship before service, and family before work. Set your priorities right to avoid getting burned out. Let your service be to please the Lord and never attempt to do more than the Lord ask you. He will not overburden you, instead, He always gives sufficient grace for you to do what He has asked you to do.
Radiate the glow of the Holy Spirit
Third, stay connected to the Holy Spirit. That is what you need to radiate His glow. Stay plugged into Him as your source of energy. Remember the parable of the 10 virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). The oil in your lamp is so key to your walk with God and service to him.
If you do not stay in fellowship with God, you cannot radiate his glow. His glow is only reflected in those who spend time with him, keep connected with the Holy Spirit, and continue to walk in the light of the counsel He gives them daily.
Personally, I can tell you that God always gives more than enough Grace to everyone He calls to do what He has called them to do.
Let him fill you with excitement
The keyword here for me is ‘LET HIM’. The Holy Spirit will not force himself on you. He is more than willing to help you and very efficient at refreshing you in your service to God. But you must let him do his work in your life.
You must allow him to fill you with excitement as you serve the Lord. If you read that verse again, you will see that God makes room for excitement in his work and assign the Holy Spirit to ensure you are filled with excitement in your service.
Please leave room for that excitement in your service to God. Let him lead and guide you. Jesus was a good example of filling his disciples with excitements – from the miracle experiences they had to times they had to withdraw away from the crowd to be alone. They were filled with awe and given the privilege to have access to insider conversations that nobody else was privy to except them.
How is your experience servicing the Lord? What do your priorities look like? How does your relationship with God look like? Do you put work before worship and relationship? Do not go ahead of the Lord, wait on him daily for spiritual and physical energy.
Receive instruction for the work. You cannot save the world, and you have never been called to do so. There is a portion apportioned to you and you should let God lead and help you accomplish the tasks involved.
