Topic: The Call to Serve [Charles Stanley Daily Devotional 8 December 2019]

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Matthew 25:14-30

Serving God is not optional. People come up with all manner of excuses: too old, too young, too busy, too tired, too sick—and the list goes on. Yet every reason is rendered void by the facts of Scripture, which says that believers are “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).

Service isn’t dependent upon health, age, or experience. I know bedridden men and women who dedicate their day to intercessory prayer. And I’ve met saints who have never attended seminary and yet make a point of discipling new believers. The difference between these folks and those who make excuses is attitude. If we see ourselves as servants, we will be God-focused and dependent upon the Holy Spirit. But if we’re busy worrying over how, when, and at what cost we are working for the Lord, then we are self-centered and, frankly, of little use to Him.

Someday we will stand before God, and He will require an accounting of how we used the talents and spiritual gifts we were given. What can we say to Him that will justify ignoring the opportunities He gave us to use those gifts? No excuse will hold up. Complete surrender to God’s will is the key to pleasing Him.

The Lord gives us talents and abilities for a purpose, and He will equip us for greater service to His kingdom. When we serve Him wholeheartedly, we can look forward to hearing, “Well done, good and faithful servant! … Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matt. 25:21 NIV).

Bible in One Year: Ephesians 4-6