Serving God is of utmost importance for several reasons according to the Bible. Firstly, we were created by God to glorify and serve Him. The Westminster Shorter Catechism summarizes this beautifully by stating that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. As our Creator, God deserves our honor, praise and service (Revelation 4:11). We owe our very existence to Him.
Secondly, serving God brings meaning, purpose and fulfillment to our lives. We were designed for relationship with God. As Augustine put it, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” When we serve God, we are living out the purpose for which we were created. We were not meant to live for ourselves, but for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Serving Him leads to true satisfaction.
Thirdly, serving God is an act of love and worship. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Matthew 22:37-38). One of the ways we express our love for God is through acts of service and obedience to Him. We serve God because we love Him and want to honor Him with our lives. Serving God is an outward expression of our inner devotion and affection for Him.
Fourthly, serving God results in eternal rewards. Jesus promised rewards in heaven to those who faithfully serve Him on earth (Matthew 5:12, 6:1-4, 19-21). While we do not serve God just to get rewards, the Bible is clear that our labor for Christ in this life will be rewarded in the next. The things we do for God’s glory echo into eternity (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Fifthly, serving God enables us to join Him in His work. God is always at work redeeming and restoring the world, and He invites us to come alongside Him in His mission. We have the privilege of being God’s fellow workers, agents of redemption in human history (1 Corinthians 3:9, 2 Corinthians 5:20). Serving God allows us to work with Him as He builds His Kingdom.
Sixthly, serving God allows us to experience His power working through us. When we serve in our own strength, we quickly burn out. But when we rely on God’s strength and ability working in and through us, we can accomplish far more than we could imagine (Ephesians 3:20). God wants to display His strength through our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). As we serve Him, we prove the reality and glory of God to the world.
Seventhly, serving God enables us to store up eternal treasure in heaven. Jesus told His followers to store up treasure in heaven by serving Him on earth (Matthew 6:19-21, 1 Timothy 6:17-19). Our labor for Christ has eternal value. The rewards we enjoy in heaven will far outweigh any sacrifice we made to serve God during our time on earth. Living for the eternal over the temporal is always wise.
Eighthly, serving God allows us to become more Christlike. As we serve God and obey His Word, we are transformed inwardly (2 Corinthians 3:18). Serving Christ chips away at our selfishness and pride, molding us into His image. If we want to become godlier people, we must submit to Him as Lord and serve His purposes in our lives.
Ninthly, serving God blesses others and advances His Kingdom. Our labor for Christ is never in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). God uses our service to minister to others, build up the church, and further His plan of redemption in the world. When we serve wholeheartedly as unto the Lord, the fruit can be eternal (Colossians 3:23-24).
In summary, the Bible makes it abundantly clear that serving God is of supreme importance for followers of Christ. We were made for God’s glory, designed for relationship with Him. Serving God brings meaning and purpose to our lives. It is an act of love, worship and obedience. There are eternal rewards for serving Him faithfully and sacrificially. Serving God allows us to join Him in His redemptive work in the world. It enables us to store up eternal treasure and become more Christlike. Our labor for God produces fruit that brings blessing to others and advances God’s Kingdom. The call to serve God should be heeded with joy and unwavering commitment.
The above points all highlight why serving God is absolutely essential for the believer. When Scripture speaks of serving God, it means committing every aspect of one’s life to Him – time, talents, gifts and resources. Serving God is not limited to ministry in the church but encompasses all of life. It starts with presenting ourselves fully to God (Romans 12:1-2) and includes the regular spiritual disciplines of prayer, worship, studying Scripture and fellowship with other believers. Then, it flows outward in acts of service in our homes, workplaces, churches and communities for the glory of God.
Serving God does not mean we will always feel like doing so. Our flesh resists submission to God. But we serve by faith, in reliance on the strength which God supplies (1 Peter 4:11). Serving God requires sacrifice – giving up our rights, agendas, comforts and pleasures for the sake of honoring Him. It means serving others, as Christ gave us the example when He stooped to wash the disciples feet (John 13:1-17). The life committed to serving God is marked by humility, selflessness, courage and perseverance.
Those who serve God trust that He is in control, working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). They desire His glory over personal gain. Their passion is to know Christ more intimately through their service, being conformed ever closer to His image. They believe that submitting fully to God’s sovereignty is key to experiencing His phenomenal peace (Philippians 4:6-7). They are convinced that serving God is the highest calling and greatest privilege one could ever have.
In the end, those who serve God wholeheartedly choose to agree with Jesus when He said that only one thing is needed – to sit at the Lord’s feet and serve Him (Luke 10:38-42). They understand that nothing in this world can compare to the joy, fulfillment and endless rewards that come from serving God. The redeemed soul declares along with the Psalmist, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you…God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:25-26).
Serving God always requires sacrifice, but the eternal rewards far outweigh any temporal costs. Paul testified that everything else in life is worthless rubbish compared to knowing Christ through serving Him (Philippians 3:7-9). Those who have tasted the goodness, joy and peace that come from walking closely with God through a life of service would readily testify that nothing else satisfies. Serving God brings a deep contentment and lasting joy that the world can never provide.
In summary, serving God matters because life is fleeting (James 4:14) but eternity is forever. Only those things done for Christ will last (Matthew 6:19-21). A life lived seeking happiness in the temporal is tragically shortsighted compared to one lived storing up eternal treasures through serving God. One life is dust, the other divine. The former is foolishness, the latter the only true wisdom (1 Corinthians 3:18-20). Those who learn, by revelation and experience, that serving God is man’s highest calling will gladly devote all they are to faithful service for the King, gaining a joy unspeakable which the world cannot understand.
Serving God is supremely important because He alone is worthy of all honor, praise and glory as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe (Revelation 4:11). He alone is perfect in all His ways, utterly sovereign over all things, working all things together for good (Romans 8:28). He alone gave His only Son to provide the way of redemption for sinful humanity through faith (John 3:16). Serving God expresses our heartfelt gratitude for who He is and what Christ accomplished on our behalf.
Furthermore, serving God enables us to fulfill the very purpose for which we were created – to glorify Him (Isaiah 43:7). It liberates us from the futility of living for self and imparts eternal meaning to our fleeting days on earth. Serving God brings lasting joy and peace as we walk in fellowship with Him. It stores up treasures in heaven that will endure for eternity (Matthew 6:19-21). There is simply no higher calling, no greater privilege, no more glorious pursuit than that of serving the King of kings.
Those who live to serve God are freed from anxiety about what people think. For they know the Lord alone is the proper Judge (James 4:12). They are not driven by the quest for money, power and pleasure but goal of glorifying God in all they do. Their ambition is intimacy with Christ through obeying Him. Their joy is found in partnering with God in the advancement of His Kingdom. Indeed, for those passionately in love with the Lord Jesus Christ, serving Him is its own glorious reward.
In conclusion, serving God matters because this life is evanescent but eternity endures forever. Only what is done for Christ will last into eternity and yield eternal rewards (Matthew 6:19-21). Nothing in this fallen world can compare to the honor, blessing and deep satisfaction of serving the King of kings for His glory. Those who learn this build their lives solely around loving and serving God. For they understand that man’s primary purpose – bringing joy to the heart of God – far outweighs any other pursuit on earth. Their highest aim is to one day hear from their Savior, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23).