“It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” Romans 14:11-12

I watched the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II yesterday and happened to read these two verses in a morning devotion and I’m thinking that the words from the Apostle Paul should place every person into a moment of solemn pause. Just take a brief moment to stop and really consider the implications of these two verses. On one day in all of our futures, God will compare how much time and energy we spent on ourselves compared with what we invested in serving others. At that point, all of our excuses for our own self-centeredness will sound hollow: “I was too busy” or “I had my own goals” or “I was preoccupied with working, having fun, and preparing for retirement.” To all these excuses, God will respond with something like this: “Sorry, wrong answer. I created, saved, and called you. Then I commanded you to live a life of service. What part did you not understand?”

The Apostle Paul warns unbelievers and us as well in Romans 2:8, “But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger”. The Bible says that you’re only fully alive when you’re helping others. Jesus said it like this: “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” This truth is so important. If you are not serving, you are just existing; our lives are meant for ministry. What does God expect from you? He wants you to learn to love and serve others unselfishly.

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay