The Sin of Serving?




I read this from Oswald Chambers in the devotional My Utmost for His Highest (January 18) and have been thinking about it ever since:


"Beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to Jesus Christ. The greatest competitor of true devotion to Jesus is the service we do for Him. It is easier to serve than to pour out our lives completely for Him. The goal of the call of God is His satisfaction, not simply that we should do something for Him. We are not sent to do battle for God, but to be used by God in His battles. Are we more devoted to service than we are to Jesus Christ Himself?"


Christian ambition is a good thing, and in our day and age I think we need more of it. We need to be earnest for the Kingdom of God and zealous for good works. Our churches need more passion for the gospel not less.


However, it has been said that the greatest temptations in life come from the truest realities. It is just like the devil to take all that is the highest and purest and twist it into a degrading falsehood. A simple look at the gift of sex in today's world will show how something designed for sacred intimacy between a husband and wife can be poisoned into a self-gratifying, commonplace act.


If that is indeed how sin works it is no secret "serving" can become one of our greatest sins--for no other reason than it is so noble a thing. Few things are higher than a mortal's service to Almighty God.


And that is the dangerous subtlety of it all. It is far too easy for us, without even realizing, to serve serving instead of serving God. We feverishly throw ourselves into ministries, ambitiously take on tasks, devote large percentages of our weeks to good things--and yet we can still dangerously miss the point. Isn't that what the Pharisees did? In there zeal for the law they missed Christ. Their affections were misplaced--and in serving serving, they were actually serving themselves.


So we must learn to frequently check our hearts: "why are we doing what we are doing?" Is Jesus the sole object of our affection, or has the gift of heaven's service grown into the end all? Are we devoted to His glorification alone--or are we, like those Pharisees, also missing Him?

 

"The goal of the call of God is His satisfaction, not simply that we should do something for Him."


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Re-Imgaining Legacy

Image
In a transient world, we chase the permanent. A craving for lasting significance is rooted in every human's heart. We know we will not be here long, so we desire to leave a legacy. We want to be remembered. Which is why I was surprised by the statement Abby Wambach made upon retiring. Wambach retired just a few days ago, and in the recently released Gatorade advertisement (watch here ), the former women's soccer star said: "Forget me."  Not the usual: "cherish the golden moments," or "remember the heights I took us." Simply "Forget me."    To me and my culture's ears this sounds strange, and rightly so. "Forget me" goes against the self preserving fiber of our beings. We know all too well those former athletes that incessantly harken back to the "good ole' days" when they "changed the game." Worn down ex-players and celebrities, like broken records, repetitively tout their memories an
Read more

10,000 views

Image
I have been blogging on here for almost a year and a half, and the intent has always been more selfish than it has been for the benefit of others. As a slower, internal processor of information, writing has been a great way for me to try to form some of the ambiguous and formless thoughts that bounce around in my head, and hopefully make them a little more defined. So for the different things I am wrestling with internally, or impressions I get from different books I am grappling with, or even experiences I may be struggling with personally—writing on here helps me “iron out” what I believe. If God uses it in any way to bless someone else, well that is great! I am pleased to say that “Homeward Bound” has gone over 10,000 views all time this past weekend. With 114 total posts this averages out to about 87 views per post--which is really awesome! We are not viral by any means, but that never has been the objective. You may notice that click bait titles or extreme stances on co
Read more

Beholding with Wonder

Image
Do you remember counting down the days before Christmas when you were a kid? It felt as if nothing could come any slower. Every morning before going on the bus, I remember looking at the gifts in different sizes and shapes, trying to imagine what could possibly be beneath the wrappings. The school days were long in December. The Christmas season was full of anticipation and our lives full of wonder. Wonder is a precious thing. It is hard to find and once it is found it is hard to keep. As the years pass by, traditions and gifts lose their appeal. Mature minds no longer feel the need to see the world with wide eyes. We tell ourselves that Christmas has come before and will always be back next year. What was once sacred is now commonplace—and that is a real shame. Christmas is not the only occasion where this happens. I ran across this quote in Ronald Bainton’s biography of Martin Luther Here I Stand . Bainton paraphrases Luther’s words: “The trouble with Erasmus is that he
Read more