As a teenager in Dover, New Jersey I remember going with my dad to visit an older member of the church who had stopped attending services even though he was healthy. After this lean spry elderly gentleman showed us his wonderful garden that he loved so much and where he devoted so many hours of diligent work, the conversation slowly drifted around to why he wasn't attending church anymore.
I will never forget his answer. "I taught Bible class for over 30 years. I've done my time. Now I can rest." His answer could not have been more clear. His words betrayed both his beliefs and a self-righteous attitude. He might as well have said, "I don't need to worship God or serve Him anymore because I've already earned my spot."
Jesus said that one's attitude after faithfully completing all of one's service to God should be, "we are unworthy servants, we have only completed what we ought to have done." Luke 17:10
This story causes us to ask the questions: "Why am I worshiping and serving God?" "On what basis do I hope to enter heaven?"
The key to understanding the motivation for Christian service is to truly understand salvation. Paul is very clear that if I am to have any hope of heaven it is because Jesus was righteous. It is not because by my faithful service I have been able to show God how much I deserve to have Him save me. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Philippians 3:9; Ephesians 2:8-9.
When God saved us, He did much more than just give us a certificate of salvation - He purchased our very lives for Himself. We no longer belong to ourselves, rather we belong to Him. Galatians 2:19-20; 1 Corinthians. 6:20 Just as an employee or a slave has a particular function to fulfill, so also God has given Christians a specific function to fulfill in this world. God has created us in Christ to do good works. Ephesians 2:10 It is God's will that we live for God and His glory, that we abstain from the contamination of this world and that we worship Him. Romans 12:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; 1 Corinthians 10:31
Serving God does not earn us a spot in heaven, we are just fulfilling God's will for our lives - our prescribed role as His servant in this world. Hence, we remain "unworthy servants who have only done our duty."
When I understand that I do not deserve a paycheck from God, nor have I been climbing a ladder through the good things I have done, then I discover just how much I am still indebted to God for His gift of salvation. I can also learn God's purpose for my life as His servant.
Barry Newton, Copyright © 1999
Other Articles Which Might Be of Interest
Hindrances to Worship & Service - Part 2: Ungratefulness
Were They Not All Healed? (God's Mercy & Our Worship)