Serving for the purpose of godliness

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life: A Study Guide Based on the Book Warm-Up

“Serving God is not a job for the casually interested. It’s costly service. He asks for your life. He asks for service to Him to become a priority, not a pastime.

To be called a “Christian” you must serve

psalm 100:2

Psalm 100:2 KJV 1900

Serve the Lord with gladness: Come before his presence with singing.

Hebrews 9:14 KJV 1900

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Motivated by obedience

Deuteronomy 13:4 KJV 1900

Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.

Motivated by gladness

Psalm 100:2 KJV 1900

Serve the Lord with gladness: Come before his presence with singing.

Motivated by forgiveness, not guilt

Isaiah 6:6–8 KJV 1900

Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

2 Corinthians 5:14 KJV 1900

For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

Motivated by humility

Philippians 2:3 KJV 1900

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Motivated by love

Galatians 5:13 KJV 1900

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Mark 12:28–31 KJV 1900

And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.