If you are a child of God, then you will want to serve God and do something for Him. It is good if you want to use your time for ministry in the church or in everyday life.
In the Bible we find plenty of examples of people who served God. The best-known example is certainly Jesus Christ – who is also our best role model. But the apostle Paul is also a good example for us: when he became a child of God, it moved him to repentance and a completely new service in his life. This repentance and the desire to serve God is a natural consequence of becoming a child of God. We can love and serve God because God first loved us and freed us from sin and eternal death through Jesus Christ.
If we look at the life of Jesus, we see that Jesus was a servant for the glory of God. Why? – Because He repeatedly emphasized that He was not doing His will, but the will of the Father.1
Doing God’s will – you certainly want to do that too. And where better to experience God’s will than in fellowship with Him? You cultivate this fellowship by regularly reading the Bible, the Word of God, and praying to God.
In everyday life, you can only recognize the character of your friend – what he likes and what is important to him – if you spend time with him.
It is similar with God. If we want to serve God, we need to know who He is, what He is like and what He expects from us. God can give you this knowledge if you read His word and stay in contact with Him through prayer. This is how Jesus did it. He always relied on the words of God and was constantly in prayer with Him.
You may not understand biblical passages immediately. Don’t let this discourage you, but keep at it. Bring it to God again and again in prayer so that He can show you what His Word means for your practical everyday life. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:8).
Jesus lived a life not “to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28) because He loved people. Why should it be any different for us?
A person’s motives for service can be manifold. If we look at Jesus, we will see that His ministry was characterized by love for us. 1 Corinthians 13 makes it clear: if our service is not based on love, it is meaningless. God wants our motivation to be love for Him and therefore also for people. If we love God, we will also learn to love all our fellow human beings, even if it is sometimes difficult.
If our motives are self-centered and selfish, this is not pleasing service to God. True service must be connected with love.
What practical service can you do for God right now?
The short answer: any – if your motivation is love for God and therefore also for your fellow human beings.
However, the Bible also shows that we must prove ourselves in service to God before we are assigned further tasks: “He who is faithful in the least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in the least is unjust also in much” (Luke 16:10). It is like everyday life. Someone who is not able to fulfill the smallest tasks faithfully will also not be able to fulfill larger tasks faithfully.
When we look at the servants of God in the Bible, we realize that they went through a period of preparation before they were assigned what would become their life’s work. Whether it was Moses, Joseph, the disciples, Paul, or others, they had to learn many things, gain experience, and prove faithful in service before God could use them for other tasks.
What does that mean in summary?
There is no template or checklist that you can tick off to find out what your task is. As different as we humans are, as different are the tasks that God can show and give us.
If you love God, you will love His Word, His will, your fellow human beings, and fellowship with Him.
Through fellowship with God, He will show you and place on your heart where and what tasks you can fulfill, no matter how small and insignificant they may be. Most of the work for God happens in the background where no one sees it, and perhaps no one will ever know about your work. Don’t let this unsettle you. God sees your service. Remember: “Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort], as [something done] for the Lord and not for men, knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [greatest] reward. It is the Lord Christ whom you [actually] serve” (Colossians 3:23-24, AMP)!
The tasks will never contradict God’s Word. Do not expect to hear the literal voice of God telling you what to do next. God has given us the Bible, which is sufficient to know God, His will, and His plan for us. Stick sincerely to His Word and remain in constant fellowship with Him, and you will recognize what your service to God is to be.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Eduard Zelmer, Eppingen (DE)
1 To look up:
Luke 22:42; John 4:34; John 5:30;
John 6:38
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