Daily Devotional

-May 18, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-God Never Forgets Our Service For Him-

“For God not unjust to forget work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and so minister.”

(Hebrews 6:10).

Because we are so forgetful of what we have done, we tend to think of God that way, especially in remembering what we have done for Him over the years, some big things but mostly a lot small things. The Lord sees and hears everything, and He will reward us for them all. As long as we serve Him with pure motives and do all the name of Jesus and for His glory.

The writer of Hebrews is unknown but is mostly regarded to be the Apostle Paul. Today’s verse is so encouraging. There are three things that are true of our service for the Lord: it is a work and labor of love, it is shown to His name, and is a ministry to the saints.

• Work and labor of love – God’s work in the NT was not done by professional clergymen but by all believers working together side by side in unity and love. The leaders taught and equipped the saints to do the work of service. Ephesians 4:11 says, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” Ministry is another word for service. Our service is work and labor, yet it is joyful work done out of love for our Savior. We can call it our delightful duty.

• Shown toward His name – Our service for the Lord is not to elevate self but to glorify Christ. Everything we do should be in His name, for His sake, and for His glory. In Mark 9:41, Jesus said, “For whoever gives a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will be no means lose his reward.” If we are rewarded for such small acts, we will be rewarded for the larger ones as well. The Sunday School teacher will be rewarded the same as the pastor, preacher, and missionary; those who set up and clean up the church will be rewarded the same as the elders and deacons.

• Done to the saints – When we serve the saints, we serve the Lord. Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” With this mind, no job is too menial or insignificant. The hymn writer Kittie Louise Suffield wrote, “Little is much when God is in it, labor not for wealth or fame; there’s a crown and you can win it, if you go in Jesus’ name.”

May the Lord remind us how important our service is to the Lord and He will never forget our work and labor, shown to His name, and ministered to the saints. All service, great or small is important, and He will reward us for them all. One day He will tell us, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.”

Have a blessed day serving the Lord in His name and for His glory. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean