I know I should serve God, but why should I want to?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

When we believe in Jesus Christ and become a part of God’s family, we are transformed into new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). Part of that is a change in what motivates us to serve Him . Serving God should be rooted in love, gratitude, and recognition of who He is. God is faithful, holy, and just. He invites us into a covenant relationship with Him (Deuteronomy 7:9). As our Creator, He is worthy of honor and worship, and serving Him aligns with His goodness and purpose for our lives (Psalm 100:3; Deuteronomy 10:12-13). Recognizing His greatness and His blessings compels us to respond with love and obedience (1 Chronicles 16:25). Ultimately, serving God is for our good and reflects a life transformed by His steadfast love and faithfulness.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• God made a covenant with His people, promising to be their God and to bless them. This invites a response of love and service. Deuteronomy 7:9 says: "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations."
• God is the Creator, and as His creations, we are meant to honor Him with our lives. Understanding that we owe our very existence to Him makes serving Him a natural desire. Psalm 100:3 reminds us, "Know that the Lord, he is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”
• Deuteronomy 10:12-13 reads, "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?" We should want to serve God, not out of obligation, but because it is good and is ultimately for our good.
• God is worthy of our worship and service because of His holiness and majesty. Recognizing His supremacy compels us to serve Him (1 Chronicles 16:25).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Because believers are adopted into God’s family, He is at work making us more like Jesus, who "came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). We should offer our lives to God out of love for Him.
• We should want to serve God because we know that abiding in Jesus brings fullness of life (John 10:10; 15:1- 17).
• Since true life is in God alone (John 14:6), our life should reflect gratitude for this amazing gift.
• Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We were saved from eternal death and given eternal life; we should, therefore, live in a way that testifies of God’s saving power and thank Him for the eternal life He has given us.
• In serving God, we cooperate with His work of sanctification in us. We can imitate Jesus who "though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:6- 8).
• In Christ, we are made completely new (2 Corinthians 5:17). As such, our desires change and we become more Christ-focused.
• We should serve God because we should desire to walk by the Spirit, not the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
• First John 4 focuses on God's love and how it affects the way we live. In part, John writes, "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. […] We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:10, 19). Our love for God and others is a response to God's love for us. One way we can demonstrate our love for God is through serving Him.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Specific motivations for serving God may vary among Christians and may depend on the type of service . However, the underlying theme is that when we know God, we will love Him and desire to serve Him. Because of our love for God , we should seek to serve Him because we want to (1) imitate Christ (Matthew 20:28), (2) abide in Christ (John 10:10; 15:1- 17), (3) thank God for true life (John 14:6) and eternal life (Romans 6:23), (4) live in alignment with God’s work of sanctification (Philippians 2:6-8 ), (5) walk by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16), and (6) live in such a way that reflects God’s radical work of love in our lives (1 John 4:10, 19). Ultimately, we should serve God and live for Him out of gratitude, love, and desire to live the transformed life He intended us to.

UNDERSTAND

• Serving God comes from understanding who He is and from our love for Him.
• Serving God manifests a transformed life that reflects His goodness and purpose.
• Serving demonstrates gratitude for eternal life.

REFLECT

• How does understanding God’s character influence your desire to serve Him?
• How has God transformed your heart and intentions toward serving Him out of love rather than obligation?
• How can gratitude for eternal life shape the way you approach serving God in your daily life?

ENGAGE

• How can we encourage one another to serve God out of love and gratitude rather than out of duty?
• What does it mean for us as believers to reflect God’s goodness and purpose in the ways we serve?
• How can we help each other grow in understanding God’s love to deepen our collective desire to serve Him?