Serving GOD, What does it mean to you?

[CINDY S.]

I am realizing why I feel dead inside - I think.
I have been living too much for me and not putting GOD first in everything.

I know what the dictionary says about serving, but wanted to know what
it means to you and are you serving him?

[HeartlandGal]

Serving God for me, is living to please him. I am serving God by loving my husband the way the bible teaches me. Accepting his decisons, serving him, praying with him. I am serving God by homeschooling my children and in all subjects showing them Gods hand in it. By setting example for them that just because the World accepts something as ok, doesn't mean it is. By loving them through hugs and kisses and discipline. By setting an example in our marriage for our child. By training them up in the way they should go.

I'm serving God by helping with bible studies for non-christian college students from other countries. By giving them rides to Wal-mart or helping them when they are sick. By loving them and always being truthful to them.

I am serving God when I dress modestly and speak lovingly and truthfully. When I pray, when I worship, when I am thankful for the good and for the stuff I don't consider good.

Now if you were to ask about serving self, I can rattle off many more ways I do that. Which is very sad.

[andy]

We serve God the Father when we follow the example of God the Son. Jesus is our standard. Can we fully measure to Christ. No, of course not. We work out our salvation daily picking up our cross and following Jesus.

To see what we should do, we look at Jesus's life and follow Him. And, this is most important, we realize that all that we have as children of God was fully paid for at the cross. We receive the gift that we could not earn and do not deserve; salvation through Jesus Christ!:wave

[BHiles]

A real important thought was brought out to me sometime last year that has really been important to my thoughts about God.

Our life should not be about putting God first.

In fact He has no real desire to be put first. By placing Him first and dealing with Him first once we have Him out of the way that thing that is second occupies all of ourselves and He is not longer a part because we already dealt with Him first.

Ex 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

No other gods not first in a list. No other. No other priorities, not just first priority but no other.

He wants to be involved in all of it. The first priority and the second priority and the third and so on.

It has become customary in this country and is declining that first before eating we thank God for our food. Sadly this has become a meaningless rote prayer by many that is quipped as formality while everyone is impatiently waiting to dig in. But we must get God out of the way first. Then afterwards amazingly the conversations turn from everything to fussing and fighting to absolute filthy communications. But God got first place didn't He?

No, God wants to be involved in all of it. Whatever we do is He is the center of it. All our priorities, all of our activities God should be directing and communicated with the ever presence of mind that He is right there with us.

Serving God has more to do with being with God than doing for God. In reality God can do for Himself just fine. It is a danger that many will fall into.

Luke 10:39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

And a natural outgrowth of Being with God will naturally flow out from our hearts the doing. It is only this kind of Good work that is not chaff. All other doing good is out of the flesh and thus vanity.

Serving God is that which allows God to be a part of all of your life, making Him the center of all activity. A dead life is only able to become alive when the Lifegiver breathes upon it.

[Dilferthecat]

Love God and love people. This is what we are commanded to do. Out of our love for God comes our service to others, even (and maybe especially) our service to those who are unlovable.

[ub4war]

John 3:30-31
He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

[carmen]

To me, serving God means obedience to His commands. That means loving God above everything, and others as myself.

In action, I do not live up to this standard, of course. However, I do take actions that I know He wants me to take, even when I do not want to. I also serve Him by serving His children in the Body, here and in my local church. I teach off and on in Sunday School for adults and kids both; I interact heavily during any class I am in, trying to ensure I study before hand so I can constructively participate; help out with various projects around the church, such as props for different things for the kids ministry and for adult choir performances; give tithe and money for other stuff as needed; serve on committees at times as led; etc.

In the end, though, for me it usually always comes back to denying myself and following Him even when it means doing something I don't want to--or vice versa. The denying self thing is something He is continually having to work on me with :doh :(:

[LaMontre]

A real important thought was brought out to me sometime last year that has really been important to my thoughts about God.

Our life should not be about putting God first.

In fact He has no real desire to be put first. By placing Him first and dealing with Him first once we have Him out of the way that thing that is second occupies all of ourselves and He is not longer a part because we already dealt with Him first.

Ex 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

No other gods not first in a list. No other. No other priorities, not just first priority but no other.

He wants to be involved in all of it. The first priority and the second priority and the third and so on.

It has become customary in this country and is declining that first before eating we thank God for our food. Sadly this has become a meaningless rote prayer by many that is quipped as formality while everyone is impatiently waiting to dig in. But we must get God out of the way first. Then afterwards amazingly the conversations turn from everything to fussing and fighting to absolute filthy communications. But God got first place didn't He?

No, God wants to be involved in all of it. Whatever we do is He is the center of it. All our priorities, all of our activities God should be directing and communicated with the ever presence of mind that He is right there with us.

Serving God has more to do with being with God than doing for God. In reality God can do for Himself just fine. It is a danger that many will fall into.

Luke 10:39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

And a natural outgrowth of Being with God will naturally flow out from our hearts the doing. It is only this kind of Good work that is not chaff. All other doing good is out of the flesh and thus vanity.

Serving God is that which allows God to be a part of all of your life, making Him the center of all activity. A dead life is only able to become alive when the Lifegiver breathes upon it.

Awsome! :thumb

[alrdyreg]

In fact He has no real desire to be put first. By placing Him first and dealing with Him first once we have Him out of the way that thing that is second occupies all of ourselves and He is not longer a part because we already dealt with Him first.


putting God first is not like a grocery list where the dry stuff comes before the frozen etc etc... it is simply stateing that God should be the most important thing in your life. i think i speak for everyone when i say that God is with us through all hours of the day. when we get in our car and listen to some contemporary christian... we are praising Him

when we pray during the day well.. we are praying to Him

It has become customary in this country and is declining that first before eating we thank God for our food. Sadly this has become a meaningless rote prayer by many that is quipped as formality while everyone is impatiently waiting to dig in. But we must get God out of the way first. Then afterwards amazingly the conversations turn from everything to fussing and fighting to absolute filthy communications. But God got first place didn't He?

kinda broad generalization isnt it? after we bless our food and make it clean we usualy end up talking about the Bible or something uplifting... sometimes we dont even talk.. just eat and then go do other things...

[RobinB]

A real important thought was brought out to me sometime last year that has really been important to my thoughts about God.

Our life should not be about putting God first.

In fact He has no real desire to be put first. By placing Him first and dealing with Him first once we have Him out of the way that thing that is second occupies all of ourselves and He is not longer a part because we already dealt with Him first.
.


Great post! :clap