Serving Wholeheartedly
Scripture Reading — Ephesians 6:1-9
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people …
Ephesians 6:7
Preachers and pastors are sometimes viewed as rather unusual people. After all, they will speak about answering God’s “call” to full-time ministry for the church. As a result, some people think preachers have a special Internet-like connection with God! But they aren’t the only ones called to Christian service.
Paul encouraged Christians to strengthen one another in their faith and to help people understand the implications of their beliefs. He applied the truth of submitting “to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21) to their church life and their personal lives.
Paul reminds husbands, wives, parents, children, employers, and employees that in all our relationships we must gauge whether we’re serving the Lord. God is the ultimate rewarder for work done. It’s not our salaries or the praises of people. We’re to look forward to a welcome home from God, who greets us with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
Keeping in mind that we’re working for the Lord helps us keep our work in perspective. Pastors can find it stressful to serve a church with difficult people. Not every employer distributes Christmas bonuses. Unhappy husbands or wives may be hard to love, but looking beyond them to the Lord does help.
Christ is the Master we serve by serving others.
Dear Lord, thank you for helping us see that we all need to serve if we’re to be faithful to you and each other. Our desire is to honor you and serve your kingdom. Amen.
About the author — George Vink
Pastor George Vink has served as a pastor in the Christian Reformed Church for more than 30 years in British Columbia, Montana, Michigan, and California. He and his wife, Shirley, have four married sons and nine grandchildren.
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