How to live life as a Christian; Serving the Lord

Just because you’re a Christian, it doesn’t mean you automatically have all the answers on how to live life. But we try our best by reading, praying, studying God’s word, and relying on the Holy Spirit. Even when we are doing all of that, we sometimes struggle to know what the right thing to do is. Romans 12:11 helps us with this by reminding us of what we should be doing. We need to be serving the Lord as we live life as a Christian.

*Every Monday I will post another important aspect from scripture, on how God wants us to live life like a Christian. I will do this until we have covered the whole chapter.*

SCRIPTURE:

Romans 12:11

¹¹Not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

BEHAVIOR:

Serving the Lord

WHAT AND HOW:

• What does it mean to serve the Lord?
• How does serving the Lord help us live life as a Christian?

To best explain what it means to serve the Lord I will use an analogy.
When you start a new job, you want to impress your boss, and make him happy. To accomplish this you do whatever tasks your boss  asks of you. You’ll “serve” your boss by doing the job that he has put before you, and doing it the best you can. It’s no different for us when we serve God, because we serve God by doing what He asks of us. Christians can serve the Lord by following His commands, making worldly sacrifices, resisting the temptation to sin and “making disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-20). We need to try to do this with joy, gladness and 100% dedication in all circumstances.

Serving the Lord helps us live life as a Christian because it’s all about God and His will. When we focus on God and His will for us, we will be more likely to make the Godly, righteous, decisions that God expects from us. The last thing we want as we live this Christian life is to have our actions questioned by non-believers. This will happen if we are talking inappropriately, get drunk, watch sinful movies to name a few, instead of living out our faith by serving God. Focusing on God should improve our decisions as Christians.  People should know we are Christians without even asking.  We are called to be “peculiar or special people” (1 Peter 2:9).  How many times have you met someone and could tell that person is a Christian without asking?

CONCLUSION

If I had a servant I would want one that does every moral request I have.  I would want the requests to be done without hesitating, with 100% effort, no complaining, and for the servant to come back asking what needs done next.  I consider Paul the ultimate servant of Jesus, He was beaten, stoned, imprisoned and faced death for serving Jesus.  Yet his desire was to serve the Lord by sharing the Gospel and lifting up the church in every bad and good situation.

COMING UP: Rejoicing in hope

References:
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

We hope you search our Free Bible Studies from Christian Fellowshipping for more encouraging ways to fellowship with God and other believes.

ROMANS 12

verses 1-2

​I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

verses 3-8

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

verses 9-16

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

verses 17-21

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.