Luke 4:8
And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.’”
In the midst of preparation for the HistoryMaker Camp 2009, I spent 6 hours completing one set of game logistics. When I was only halfway through, I thought, honestly, I hadn’t exactly found the foolproof (and most time-saving) way of working them out. But one thing I did know was that God’s hand was in it, and in His good name, all would be well.
I like The Message’s version of Colossians 3:22-25:
“Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.“
In schools, we serve the students in our respective co-curricular activities. At home, we serve our family members through little things like making meals for them or doing the household chores. But at church, we serve the people of God. Yet, whatever we do, we ought to do every task heartily – only to glorify Daddy God.
Right after the camp, on the bus back home, I began a mini sharing session with a dear brother, and his name was Le How. A young man who used to be a YL (Youth Leader) at DARE – in other words, like a caregroup leader – and served in the ministry under Pastor Daniel for years. But he told me he backslided when Pastor Dan left the youth ministry to head the current music ministry. He even stopped coming to caregroup. Then I saw something in him, but the Lord spoke to me and said, “Princess, my son isn’t serving from the heart. Tell him. Tell him.” What in the world is ’serving from the heart’? I heard this somewhere before, it sounded way too familiar, I thought.
For a while, I was puzzled. Yes, I know that serving is out of the overflow. Out of the abundance that God has given you, you serve. With and out of love. I served at camp, of course I knew. And then it hit me – Le How was serving because of Pastor Dan, not God. He enjoyed serving under the leadership of our worship Pastor that he forgot why he was serving in the first place.
I got that while serving for camp too. For a very brief period, I only wanted to serve because of my awesome programme team. Honestly, this team is so awesome – I wish we could ALL stay on as an events team even after camp. I loved serving under the leadership of our Programme I/Cs, Alice and Kevin. I loved doing all that “production worker” kind of stuff because of them. And I loved them all very much. Until one night, a few nights before camp, when I went to the Lord and said something like, “Daddy, You love me, don’t You? I love You, and that’s why I serve.” But God gave a very interesting reply – I could still remember. He said, “You know I love you, Princess. So serve Me with your heart.“
Only until camp did I really know what serving from the heart was. The desire in us to serve was planted by our heavenly Father. And whatever He gives, He maintains. But sometimes, we lose ourselves, and our focus. Why are we serving? We serve because we know we have been loved much and given much. That God has given us so much, and out of His love, we serve. Not because of any leader, any kingdom friend, or any other reason.
And so I realised.
On the bus home, I told Le How that really simple revelation I caught about serving. Right now, he’s still serving – but even better, he’s coming back to caregroup. Many people often tell me, “This guy… Head knowledge only, la. No heart knowledge.” But I believe the Lord knows better – He always does.
So I thought, Lord, make me an oracle of Your word, so that I may not only serve You in church under the Events Team and the ministry, but to the people out there whom You love, that I may bring the Good News through You in my own little ways, to all of them
You know, it’s never too late to start serving. It took me more than two years in church to realise I had to start serving. And the moment I did, I reaped a massive harvest and broke an age-long bondage. A bondage I thought I could never cave out of. But He who has sown a seed for the heart of serving in you will definitely grow it. Remember to let Him, don’t let yourself. For serving is OUT OF THE OVERFLOW. And when you serve, you know that you reap a double portion.
It’s not from me. It’s from your Daddy God.
Shalom.
|Snippets Of Rest|©
