Devotions: Grateful Service

 

Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.

1 Samuel 12:24 New American Standard Bible 1995

 

When the prophet Samuel said this, he had just crowned Saul king over Israel. The people had been begging for a king for years, not because they didn’t have good leadership, but because they wanted to be like the other nations who were ruled by a man rather than God. This grieved Samuel and God, for they knew that in this the people were ultimately rejecting God and desired worldliness more. Once Samuel anointed Saul, he warned the people what would happen if they or their king faltered. They were afraid so Samuel reassured them that he would teach them how to live. This was his answer.

Fear God. This does not mean to be afraid, but to have reverence, awe and respect. The people obviously did not fear God because they were trying to replace Him. If we truly fear God, then we will love Him and live as He commands (which is proof of our love.)

Serve Him in truth. It is hypocrisy to say we love God and then disobey Him or refuse to serve Him. Love without deed is fake. In serving Him, we are putting Him first; prioritizing His commands and will above our own. Service does not earn anything, but is proof of our love and devotion to Him. We need to do this with all our hearts. Anyone can tell when someone is just going through the motions rather than serving from the heart. This can be seen in any relationship, but especially in marriage. We can tell when our spouse is just doing something out of obligation rather than love. We need to love and serve God whole-heartedly and genuinely.

Why do we do all of this? Look at what God has done for us. It is so easy to take God and His blessings for granted, thinking that we somehow earned or deserved them, or made them happen ourselves. Yet every good gift comes from God. Everything. There is nothing good that we have that God did not give us, including every breath that we take. We have so much for which to be thankful. If we truly appreciated what we had and what God has done for us, we would fear and serve Him without a moment’s hesitation. He would have our whole heart.

Do you fear God? Do you serve Him whole-heartedly? Are you aware of the many blessings He has given you? Ask God to renew your love and gratitude for Him so that you can serve Him genuinely.

 

 

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