That probably isn’t a question that you would ask in church. It might not even be a question you would dare to speak out loud. Seriously though, why does God need me to serve Him? I mean He is an infinite being that can be all places at one time and can literally speak anything into existence. So what does He need me for? Bill Gates doesn’t walk around asking people to give him a dollar, does he? Why should I have to do something for a God who can so easily do it Himself?
My life is already busy enough: work, kids, chores, marriage, bills, church, bible study, meals and hopefully there is still time to sleep. I am constantly stressed dealing with one problem after another and worrying about how I am going to make it all work out, and now I have to worry about what I can do for God? Are you kidding me? Can I get a little bit of time for me? Who’s helping me out? Who is going to serve me? I just don’t have the time, energy and if I’m honest the desire to serve an all-knowing, all-powerful God. Why should I waste my time helping a God who really should be helping me with all the stuff I have going on?
Be honest, have you ever felt like this? Don’t worry, you don’t have to admit it out loud; nobody will know about it, but have you ever wondered why God commands us to serve Him? Have you ever just been so overwhelmed with life that you couldn’t find the energy to even raise a finger in his service? Maybe you were just in a place where you didn’t want to. It wasn’t that you couldn’t, but you just didn’t have the desire. Maybe the thought in your head was: “What has God done for me lately?” It’s pretty easy to find yourself in that place, and it might not be easy to understand why.
We all find ourselves in stressful situations and we can all get overwhelmed with life. God isn’t trying to add more stress. Instead, He is actually trying to simplify it. He doesn’t need our service or our testimony, although He will use it. He has no need for us to witness to others or to show people His love. He can do that, all on His own. He can speak directly to people if He wants. Why does He command us to serve? When you were a kid did your parents require you to do any chores around the house: vacuum, clean the dishes, take out the trash, laundry, mow the yard, rake the leaves? Did they need you to do it? I remember when I was a kid and I had to do my chores, I always felt like my parents were just being lazy and making me do things because they didn’t want to get up off the couch. Of course, I only thought this in my head; I wasn’t stupid enough to say it or write it out like I am doing now. However, I realize now that my parents were making me do these things to teach me. They wanted me to learn responsibility and work ethic. They wanted to help prepare me for life as an adult. This isn’t all that far from what God is doing in commanding us to serve.
When a father tells his son to help mow the yard it isn’t because the father can’t do it himself. It is because the father wants to teach the son how to do it. This is what God is doing. He commands us to serve Him, because when we serve Him, He is able to teach us things about Him and about ourselves. He is able to get us thinking about something greater than ourselves. He is able to reveal aspects about his nature and power that our eyes may not have been opened to other wise. When we are acting in God’s service we are able to feel His presence. God commands us to serve, not because He needs it, but because He knows that we need it.
He knows that if we aren’t serving God we are going to get pulled away from Him. He knows that by serving Him we will have to stay focused on Him, and as Peter learned when we focus on God when we can rise above the raging seas and walk on water but when we look away the water overtakes us and we sink like stones. God doesn’t want us to sink. He is trying to help us walk on water. When we keep our focus on God, we aren’t focusing on all the problems and distractions that the world is throwing at us; things that God has already promised to provide to those who are dedicated to serving Him (Matthew 6:25-33). God understands how stressful our lives can become, which is why He tells us to serve him instead of focusing on 20 different problems and trying to fix them all. We can focus on God and do the one thing that He is calling us to do and let God handle the rest. God doesn’t want to add to our stress; He is actually trying to subtract our worry (1 Peter 5:7), by dividing our workload (Matthew 11:28-30), multiplying our blessings (2 Corinthians 9:10) and showing us that He is greater than the world (John 16:33)!
Are you serving God? Perhaps you have been so overwhelmed lately that you have been putting it off in favor of getting whatever rest you can. You have been struggling so hard that you couldn’t see yourself adding anything else to it. Well, I’ve shown you the math, which equation actually works in your favor? It isn’t too late! You can put your focus on God today! You can start serving right now! You can still walk on water!
