Acts 17:25 And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.

This is an important reminder, especially for everyone who is in “full time Christian service” like I am. We don’t earn brownie points with God, because He doesn’t need anything. Rather, we serve God because it is a blessing to us, by bringing us into line with His heart. Likewise, you can’t buy God’s favor, because there’s nothing you could give Him that He didn’t create in the first place. We give to God, not because He needs it, but because we need to do it as a reminder to ourselves that He is the source of everything good. How we act is a reflection of our hearts. That’s why Jesus said so clearly that how we treat those around us is how we are treating Him, in the story of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:31-46. We serve God primarily by serving the people around us in His Name; all we really offer to God are grateful, obedient hearts. That’s not to say that God doesn’t appreciate our service; that’s clear from Matthew 25. The Bible is clear that our service will be rewarded. (Hebrews 11:6 and many more) What matters is our heart, which is why Jesus could say that the poor widow gave more than the wealthy people. (Luke 21:1-4) God desires that we serve Him and give to Him, but that is for our sake and not His. When we forget that, all sorts of things go wrong.

As I started out by saying, this applies particularly to me. I cannot for a moment say that I’ve ever given to God more than I’ve received, in any area at all. I’ve given more to this church in offerings than I’ve received in salary, but everything I’ve given I’ve received from God. The Japanese Shinto religion is a flavor of animism, and as such is very much into serving gods. Many Japanese are superstitious about bad luck coming from failure to do the right things at the right shrines, or good luck coming from doing the right things. Many Shinto shrines do a booming business in “blessing” cars and selling “traffic safety” stickers that go on the bumpers or rear windows, often at a fairly steep price. As one Japanese said to me, buying insurance works better! In this culture, I need to help people understand that the God who created the universe isn’t like that, just as Paul sought to do in Athens. At the same time I must keep watch over my heart, that I’m not deceived into thinking that God owes me anything; it’s all grace, and that grace is sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Father, thank You for the privilege of serving You. Help me do it faithfully, whoever the person in front of me might be. May I offer You the sacrifice of praise, not forgetting that the people around me are Your representatives as well. (Hebrews 13:15-16) Thank You. Praise God!