Service as a natural reaction to Knowing God

And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” …Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ Genesis 3:14, 16-17
The information available to us plays a major role in our reaction to events that happen around us and the commitment we are willing to make in our pursuits. Part of the clamour for proper communication in relationships and true knowledge is the potential that wrong information has in ruining them. If the god we see is a war monger who will want us to destroy those that don’t believe in him then our reaction would likely be that of belonging to terrorist cells that bomb people that don’t belong to our faith, as by so doing we shall expect some commendation from that god. But if the God we see is a loving Father who cares about all that He has created then the reaction of the followers would be that of love and kindness and a desire to point all to the truth and right way.

Moses was raised in the house of Pharaoh as an Egyptian Prince and he saw himself as “one of them”. He had the best of education, military training and was well equipped for leadership role, but when he knew whom he really was, his attitude changed and became a defender of the oppressed Jews and had to run for fear of his life after committing ‘murder’.   He, however, never knew the God that his fore fathers served until the ‘burning bush’ encounter, which transformed him and made him to lead his people from slavery in Egypt. His knowledge of the powerful God that created the universe and all that dwell in it gave him the commitment to serve and obey Him till his end. Do you yet know that God?

God has revealed Himself to humanity through the early prophets as recorded in the Old Testament and later through His only Son, Jesus Christ. His life gives us an example to follow; example of humility, service and total obedience to God the Father. He says in Matthew 10: 16-19 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak.”

When we know God and the love that He has for us and that through His grace He has called us to this knowledge, we have a natural and commanded obligation to follow His commission to us to proclaim His message of salvation to all humanity. He has called us to be His tools for reaching out to the lost who He desires so dearly to come also to the knowledge of His saving grace. He says the journey would be rough because Satan rules the world, hence we live among wolves. However, He expects us not to lose our cool (be harmless as doves) but to be wise and trust Him, as Moses did and led the Jews from the slavery of the Egyptians. He has made His Spirit available to us to empower and put words in our mouth and take us through the difficult times that we may also lead His children from the slavery of Satan.

But how much of His knowledge do we have? Do we truly know this God that we serve? Are we merely following rituals without having that deep relationship with Him? Do we fret when Satan barks like “a roaring lion” and abandon the commission God has given to us when He has also given us the capacity to withstand Satan. Jesus said in Mark 16:15-18 “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Beloved, as we reflect this week on “Knowing and Serving God” let us seek to know the God we serve through: studying His words, at home daily and during church programs; yielding to the Holy Spirit to guide us; and let us make ourselves available to serve Him.

Remain blessed.

Your brother and friend,