Who will serve?

Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen. – Deuteronomy 10.20-21

Who are we going to serve? That is one of the great questions of life. It isn’t simply a matter of who are going to work for, but it is a life choice and a series of life choices to follow.

Elijah told the people of Israel to chose who they would serve. ‘If Jehovah is God follow Him, if Baal is God follow him.’ Make a choice.

Joshua told the people after the conquest of Canaan to choose to serve either the pagan gods or Jehovah God. ‘But’ he said,’ as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.’

Before salvation we had no choice about what to serve. We were captives to sin. It had dominion over us.

But in Christ we have a new Master and it is Him we are now called to serve. Paul got it right when over and over again he referred to him as a slave or a bondservant.

This may sound like a clean and clear-cut decision, but it plays out many times every day. Or will I serve, Christ or flesh? Who will I serve, Christ or my bank account? Who will I serve, Christ or my popularity? Who will I serve, Christ or the pressure of the world?

Of course not everything is in clear conflict. I am to serve God while I live with my family. I serve God while I am at work. I serve God while I am a good citizen. It is only when we serve these things more than we serve God that I get in trouble.

So who are we going to serve? Let’s make it even more practical – who will we serve as we step out that door today as we go out into the pressures of the world? Who is going to have our hearts today?