People To Serve God

All of us recognize how important it is to serve God. Yet, one might ponder who it is that can actually be successful in serving the Creator. Throughout history, God has asked men to pledge their lives to Him and that holds true today. Based on the Bible's teachings, there are four key things that the scriptures point out regarding those who serve God. Considering these four will aid each in being more pleasing to Him.

First, those who wish to serve God are rather ordinary people. Paul reminded the Corinthians that, "not many wise according to the flesh... are called" (I Corinthians 1:26). God's track-record proves this. King David was a shepherd boy that no one thought much of. Peter, Andrew, James, and John were fisherman. The apostle Paul was a tentmaker. And, the Son of Man was the child of a poor carpenter. It's a good thing that God has always sought plain, ordinary people like us to serve Him and do His will.

Second, those who are in service to God are imperfect people. With the exception of Jesus Christ, there is no man or woman in the Bible that was perfect or without sin. Every person listed in the Bible as a character of faith and service to the Almighty is a person who made mistakes. The words of the publican are words which we can each repeat: "God, be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13). We, like him, are simple sinners who seek redemption through Jesus Christ. And being sinners who have been bought back by the Savior, we can certainly serve our God.

Thirdly, we must be honest in serving God. This is certainly true when thinking about telling the truth and choosing not to lie as Christians. But in order to even become a child of God, we must be honest with ourselves. John writes, "if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (I John 1:8). No one likes to admit he's wrong. Yet, the brave honesty required to admit we are wrong is the same integrity that's needed in order to begin walking in God's service.

Finally, we must be obedient in order to serve. Being ordinary, imperfect, and honest are all importnat to recognize. If we don't take action to change, however, we will not find ourselves faithfully serving our God. When Jesus told His disciples to "go" and preach the gospel, those disciples had met Him at an "appointed" place (Matthew 28:16-19). Like us, they recognized the importance of listening to and obeying the Savior.

All of us are therefore more than capable of being His servants. Let us dedicate ourselves daily to that task!