Some people serve the Lord in a way that makes the whole thing look like a ‘do-me and I-do-you’ thing. It appears to be a business deal, wherein God has to pay for services rendered. At times believers go through some moments of trials and they begin to ask God why such should happen to them despite their unalloyed service to God; devotion to church activities, fasting, evangelism and all other channels through which they feel they have ministered.
It is not usually a good indication of ‘spiritual insight’ for a man to count all his areas of service unto the Lord. There are times when mention can be made about some areas of service unto the Lord as in the case of Obadiah (1 Kings 18:13) but this should not be done with a mind that makes it look as if God is indebted to you and that you have played your own part too well. Elijah in 1 Kings 19:10-18 began to recount how only him was left and all the others had gone astray but God had to show up, declaring that in fact he was number 7001 on the list of His men and thereafter God directed him on an “Elisha” succession plan mission. A man who gets to the point of counting what he’s done for God is volatile and hastens himself on the path to being useless and unfruitful in His service.
Living for the Lord is all for the benefit of man. King Hezekiah in the book of 2 Kings 20 was told by the Prophet Isaiah that he was going to die and should put his house in order. Hezekiah began to count his achievements; making it look like God never knew all of that before sending the prophet to him. So God won’t be perceived as One who makes His own suffer loss, he added 15 more years to Hezekiah and this king messed up in a big way.
Hezekiah, having recounted all he had done for God, got himself into a state of ease in which there was nothing more or nothing new to be done. I could hear Hezekiah mutter to himself – ‘I have done my part and served God well but woe unto those who are at ease in Zion. When a man begins to count thus, it paints a picture of ‘I have done enough’ and so a decline starts to set in just like Hezekiah who in 2 Chr 32:25 rendered not again unto God according to the benefits done unto him. Hezekiah’s extra time was just so different from the years before. It was Hezekiah who lost all his sense of spiritual caution and allowed an enemy into his armoury (2 Kings 20:12); which when God saw, brought about a declaration on Hezekiah’s descendants going into captivity. Rather than stay sober and intercede, that man was happy that in his own days, there would be peace. Hezekiah felt like – yes he deserved peace after all he had worked for God and so let the sons after him face their own music.
It is foolishness to recount before God our prowess when it isn’t as if He knows not. It is equally a warning signal when we don’t feel like there’s a new ground to be conquered; a new understanding to acquire in God; a new landmark to claim for Him. There should be an expectation, a challenge, a stirring within us that goes beyond a ‘trade by barter’ deal with God so that when a promise tarries, we don’t cease to pray and be fervent in spirit.
Men who count never make big strides. We see the elder brother of the prodigal son in Luke 15 also recount to his father saying – ‘all these years I have served you but not even a kid you killed for me’. The prodigal son did not need to count because he understood what was his by right and went demanding for it.
Maybe you have served in various capacities in church and done much service in the house of God but you feel so down because you can’t measure up your services with the ‘rewards’ that you expect. Relax – God has never short changed any man and you will not be the first. Understand God’s timing and you will realize that you have no need for sorrow or anxiety. It is because we don’t understand God’s will and timing, we allow so much pressure get to us and weigh us down.
My dear friend, the time of challenge is not for recounting how macho one has been, but time to go down and desire mercy from the God of heaven. I love Daniel so much – in the face of trial by the death chamber in Dan 2:18 (because of a king who dreamt and wanted to kill all the wise men, as he forgot his dream), he called his 3 brothers aside and instead of claiming rights and saying all they had done for God, sought mercies from the God of heaven…, so that they will not perish with the rest of the wise men.
4 years ago