BENEFITS OF SERVING THE LORD

Pr. James Victor Lubwama

Exodus 23:25-27 (NKJV)

“So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. 26 No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.  27 “I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.” 

i)  25(b)……. He will bless your bread and your water…..”

To bless your food and water means blessing the works of your hands – job or business; when you serve the Lord, then the one you serve obliges to bless the works of your hands. 

ii)  26(a) “No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land……….”

Our plans and projects shall not die at the initiation or foundation stage. Nothing can sabotage them but instead they thrive and grow because of God’s backup and blessing. 

iii)  26(b) “……….…..I will fulfill the number of your days.” 

This means that you will perform your duties or assignment up to the end and, nothing and no one will take you out of your job or business when it is not yet time. It will not happen for you to leave your employment, business or marriage. Nothing will take you out of the blessings that the Lord has given you! 

iv)  27 “I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.

To see the back of your enemies happens when you have the fear or terror of God upon you - when God goes ahead of you with his terror, your enemies scatter. Without the terror or fear of God upon you, people can despise and disrespect you; they can rob your assets and fraud you etc.

An example of ferocious people in our African setting are witches. In the African setting especially in villages, when we were still children we heard stories about witches and what would happen to a person who stole their belongings or conned them. We were told that if someone stole their harvest or possession, a certain force would make you return what you stole, or the things one stole would scream at night for you to return them, so we had that kind of fear for those people. In the same way but for a different purpose, because of the fear of God upon you, you will be shielded. People will look at you mysteriously but with respect. They will say; ‘we cannot understand that person’, maybe he or she is related to a high profile person or a friend of the minister - all that happens when the fear of the Lord goes before you, and clears the way for you.

Saved for Service

The Bible says in 2 Timothy 1:9 (TLB) that; “It is he who saved us and chose us for his holy work not because we deserved it but because that was his plan long before the world began…..” God created you to help others - serving God is serving people! Regardless of your job, profession or talent, you are called to serve; a non-serving Christian is contradictory to the gospel and God's plan.

We were not saved to become spectators in the kingdom of God but servants serving with a purpose of advancing His kingdom; we are; Saved ➡Called ➡ Purposed ➡ & Graced. 2 Timothy 1:9 (AMP) says; “[For it is He] Who delivered and saved us and called us with a calling in itself holy and leading to holiness [to a life of consecration, a vocation of holiness]; [He did it] not because of anything of merit that we have done, but because of and to further His own purpose and grace (unmerited favor) which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began [eternal ages ago]” 

Every Christian is called to service - saved to serve. When you use your God-given abilities to help others and build his kingdom, you are fulfilling your calling. Romans 7:4 (GNT) says; “And now you belong to him who was raised from death in order that we might be useful in the service of God.”

We are saved to serve!