I love this quote from Christine Cain: “If you can’t serve God here, you won’t serve Him there because once you get there it will be here.” How often have you thought, if only God would put me there, or give me this, then I would truly be able to serve Him? We all fall victim to thinking we could serve God better if our circumstances were different.
But the truth is, if you can’t serve Him where you are, with what you have, you won’t be able to serve Him regardless of where you are or what resources you have at your disposal. God calls you to serve Him right where you are, just as you are.
Our attempts to bargain with God are really thinly-veiled excuses to not serve Him. We pray, “If you’ll just do this, or cause this to happen, then I will serve you for the rest of my life.” That is not the kind of follower Christ is seeking. Jesus wants people who will follow Him regardless of what He does for them. He desires true disciples who think nothing of themselves and desire only to see His Kingdom come to earth.
Jesus is not a conditional Lord. He is Lord of everything or nothing at all. That choice is up to you. Perhaps you don’t like your current situation. Change it if you can, but serve God regardless. Your circumstances should never dictate your response to Jesus. You can’t serve God better someplace else if you can’t serve where you are. Serving is about an attitude of humility, a willingness to do whatever Jesus would do in a similar situation. It is not location dependent. You are either committed to serving God with all of your heart, soul, strength, and mind (Luke 10:27), or you are committed to living for yourself. There is no third option, no middle ground.
The baggage you bring with you there is full of the same problems you are dealing with here. Your struggles aren’t about geography or circumstances; they are about your heart and your commitment. Paul said he had learned to be happy with a little or a lot; he was content in prison or free (Philippians 4:11-13). Regardless of your location or situation, joyfully serve where you are because that is your mission. That is the will of God for your life.
God loves us beyond measure and wants only the best for us. He also knows the best for us is found in our obedience to Him. The life of Jesus proves our primary mission is to further the Kingdom of God, not to be in the place where we are the most comfortable and happy. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you could serve God better if you were somewhere else, had a little more money, or had the talents of someone else. If you can’t serve God where you are with what you have, you will never be able to serve Him. Stop making this about you. Make it all about Jesus and serve where you are.