The single focus of our lives must be to serve the Lord. We know this is God’s will for everyone because the greatest commandment given by God is to love the Lord with all your heart, strength, mind, and soul (Mark 12:28-31; Deuteronomy 6:5). Everything we do for Him is an act of worship to Him. This is easy to understand but very hard for us to do on a consistent basis, every hour of every day of our lives.
We get tired, frustrated, discouraged, and if we’re honest with ourselves, we get selfish. Our selfish desires are the greatest impediment to living a life that is wholly devoted to Christ. Paul encourages us in this way: “Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord” (Romans 12:11). This should be the mantra that drives us all.
We demonstrate diligence by never ceasing to pursue serving the Lord. We should live every waking hour with the aim of loving others, meeting their needs, and glorifying the name of God (Matthew 5:16; Galatians 6:9-10). It is agonizing for me to look back on my life and see how many foolish things I wasted time on, how many useless pursuits I devoted energy and money to. Nothing lasts except the grace of God (Isaiah 40:8). Everything we do for ourselves is worthless, meaningless, and destined for destruction (Ecclesiastes 1:2; 1 Corinthians 3:13-15). Satan wants nothing more than to see us waste time on inconsequential things while our days and opportunities for effectiveness fall away.
To serve the Lord is to understand our place in God’s plan for the world. We are not here to exalt ourselves or achieve any sort of greatness outside of magnifying Christ (John 3:30). When we see the work of our hands being for any other purpose, we fail to grasp the wonder of God’s redemptive plan for the world. Our mission is to be fervent in playing our part. If we aren’t eager to participate in spreading the gospel of Jesus, we don’t understand what it means to serve Him as Lord (Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:20). What else could we do that is more meaningful than furthering the mission and Kingdom of God?
Whether you want to serve the Lord is not a choice you get to make. It’s a direct command from God (Deuteronomy 10:12-13), and failure to yield to His commands is a sure ticket to Hell (Matthew 7:21-23; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-9). God is holy and cannot tolerate disobedience or any other sin. We exist for His pleasure and glory, and it is never the other way around (Revelation 4:11). The only way we can ever stand in His presence is by the covering and redemptive blood of Christ (Hebrews 10:19-22). We cannot serve the Lord until we first surrender to His Lordship (Luke 9:23; Romans 6:13). And we won’t serve Him if we don’t take that Lordship with the seriousness it demands.
As followers of Jesus, we will get tired. Serving Him is not easy work, and to do it with diligence is harder still. But Jesus promises rest to all who come to Him (Matthew 11:28-30). He will give us the strength we need to accomplish everything He gives us to do (Isaiah 41:10). It is in our weakness that He provides the strength to carry on and never grow weary of the work (2 Corinthians 12:9-10; Galatians 6:9). God is faithful, and He is true (Deuteronomy 7:9; 2 Timothy 2:11-13). He is worthy of your life. “Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord” (Romans 12:11).