Saturday, November 15, 2014

"Who Do You Serve?" ~ God

“Who do you serve?” That simple question, I’m sure, changed my life the day I heard it. Or maybe it’s the fact that I actually heard it…I mean, really heard it.

While I was visiting my parent’s rental house recently (aka the-rental-house-from-down-under-and-I-don’t-mean-Australia), I heard a sound coming through the walls that sounded like running water. I wouldn’t have thought twice about it, but it’s the same sound I heard the last time I was there…and it never stopped…for hours! I brought my parents in the room, “You hear it?” They did. “It’s probably the washing machine.” Washing machine’s not on. “It’s probably the sprinkler.” Sprinkler’s not on. I found myself turning everything off, closing the door, shoving my ear to the wall…whatever it took to hear the source of this sound. I could hear the sound. I just couldn’t hear it clearly because of all the distractions.

There have been times in my life I just didn’t feel like serving. The timing wasn’t right for me. The “ask” was just not from the person I felt like serving. The situation was just so out of order, I didn’t want to enable anyone through codependency. There were times I didn’t want to serve just to prove a point.

I found myself asking many questions when faced with the opportunity to serve the day He asked the question. I was getting caught up in the “who” and the “what” and the “when” of it all. And then God asked, “Who do you serve?”

When I turned off all the outside “noise” I had to ask myself:

  • If I serve God, does it matter who asks me to do it?

  • If I serve God, does it matter what I get from it?

  • If I serve God, does it matter when “a point” is proven?


It’s like I had my ear to the wall and could clearly hear my God remind me that these questions in my head (aka noise) were not about serving Him. These questions were about serving myself and/or others. And that’s not how I want to lead my life. I want to serve God.

When I choose to serve God by serving others, I know:

  • If I serve God, I’m serving Him, and not the person asking me to do it. It doesn't matter how the person responds to the service.

  • If I serve God, I already know His promise is to abundantly bless those who bless others. It doesn’t matter what the person I’m serving does, or does not, do for me.

  • If I serve God, I’m serving Him, not trying to prove a point by withholding service. That's manipulation over a person and/or not trusting God in the situation. I can leave justice to Him.


It really is that easy. Next time you are put in a position to serve someone, put your ear to the wall. Once you shut out the noise, the answer is pretty clear to the question God is asking.