It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Summary: How we live testifies to what we believe.
It is significant that Paul should return to these words: “It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” He has already told us to “do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col 3:17). Now, he points out it is Jesus whom we serve.
Why does he say this?
He has been talking about service all along.
Wives are to serve husbands.
Husbands serve wives (love means to serve – John 13:12-15, 34-35).
Children obey parents.
Fathers care for children.
Servants (slaves) serve their bosses.
And we all serve the Lord.
Whom do we serve?
Jesus.
How does that look?
We serve others.
In summary, we live the Greatest Commandments (Matthew 22: 37-40). We love God above all else and our neighbors, both Christian and non-Christian, sinner and saint, as ourselves.
Application: Always remember — It is all about Jesus!
Food for Thought: What comes to mind when you think about serving Jesus?
Serving Him in my heart first. Guarding against the thoughts that are counter to love. Submitting my thoughts and allowing the Holy Spirit to calm the storm of emotions that pass through my mind each day. Measuring what is going on inside me against the truth of His Word. Growing in His grace and knowledge.
Proverbs 4:23
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Allowing faith to become action. Allowing the peace within me to become peace around me. Allowing the source of my peace to become a source of peace to those that interact with me. Sharing the transformative testimony of Christ with others. Living up to the grace I have been given thus far.
James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
1 Peter 3:15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
Giving my time, energy, and resources to others. Being actively involved in helping others. Being actively involved in connecting with others. Being a part of His Body. Building up His kingdom.
Hebrews 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
1 John 3:17-18 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Thank you, Chris!
I hear you describing what it is like to be a vessel for God’s love!
Well said!
Well Said Chris!!
What comes to mind when you think about serving Jesus?
Believers are blessed as we serve Jesus, knowing and submitting to His power which transforms each into the conduit through which His power flows to those in the world around them. Our reward comes as we experience His transforming power going through us, and witness the change taking place in the lives of those receiving what we have.
2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Ephesians 2:10, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Galatians 2:20 – I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
1 Peter 4:11, If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides.
Thank you, Ron!
Your words bring to mind Romans 12:2 —
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
It is partly through serving others that we are transformed.
When I think of serving Jesus I think about fulfilling the purpose of my life. If I serve Him with all of my heart, soul and strength out of loving devotion, then I know I am in His will because He commanded that. My purpose is to glorify Him through the service of loving Him, loving people, and making disciples.
He died for me, so now my aim is to live for Him. I only pray that I do this better and better as I fail often.
2 Corinthians 5: 15 – 19: And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: a The old has gone, the new is here! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
Galatians 2: 20: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Thank you, Rich!
I love how you live out your faith through service to Jesus! Thank you for showing me how it is done!