‘What do I get for serving God?’ ‘What is in it for me?’ ‘Why should I leave the pleasures I crave for Jesus?’
These questions are probably at the deepest corners of our hearts. Questions we ask ourselves but are afraid to voice out.
Deep down, we often believe there should be something in it for us. Something that makes following God worth it. This is definitely the case when we remember the list of things we had to give up… sex, porn, overindulgence, greed, revenge, unforgiveness, drinking etc.
This often makes us crave something tangible. Almost like a trade-off. Something for what we gave up.
And there is but probably not the way we expected.
Here’s what happens when we get to know and love God:
He gets us and we get Him.
That’s it! We get Jesus
“Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My father and you in Me, and I in you.”
John 14:19-20
“God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.”
1 Corinthians 1:30
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
1 Corinthians 2:9
When you consider everything God did and still does for us, you realize it was an unfair exchange.
It’s like giving someone $1 in exchange for access to all the treasuries in all the banks in the world. Like inviting someone to your humble home for one night and they tell you to come to theirs and stay forever.
It’s like all of these and so much more.
The best part is that God doesn’t mind.
He is fine with the exchange. He wants all of us and he is okay with us having unrestricted access to him.
But we would miss this if we looked to God for what he can provide and not for who he is. It will be sad if the quality of the relationship was based on God’s provision and not on the incredibleness of the I AM THAT I AM;
His majesty,
His glory and splendor,
His grace and mercies,
His mighty arm,
His wisdom,
His Omnipotence,
His Omniscience and omnipresence.
However, getting God is often not sufficient for us; it certainly wasn’t for the young rich man who met Jesus.
“Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.
but when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”
Matthew 19:21-22
Jesus told the young man that he would gain access to the treasures of heaven but the rich young man rejected this. Perhaps, the rich young man felt the treasures of heaven would only be accessible after death or that they were not tangible like his current worldly possessions, which were impressive.
We may think the young man was foolish; that we would have done what Jesus asked but is this really true?
Are we willing to give up everything?
If we check our hearts, we may find that we want God and other ‘good’ things.
We want God plus a good husband, loving children, a great job or business, lots of money and no stress. For many of us, that would be a perfect life. At least, it used to be my idea of one.
The Bible keeps reminding us that it is a zero-sum game, all or nothing. We can’t have both.
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
Matthew 6:24
I will be the first to say that many of the things we want are not bad per se, but we may have unwittingly made them the ideal. We may have bought into the world’s standards of a good life.
Yet, there is only one who is good, he is the very definition of good, which means anything outside of him cannot be called good.
“Jesus said, “Why do you question me about what’s good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you.”
Matthew 19:17
Our God is the good one and he is enough.
He is infinitely better than whatever this world could ever offer us. His glory can never be hidden for he is the light we have been searching for. He is the wondrous one that makes our hearts leap, with a beauty that dazzles and never deems.
He is everything.
And he wants us to know him.
He wants us to focus on him because he knows that it will be the best decision we will ever make on this side of earth.
Jesus described eternal life thus:
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
John 17:3
Understanding our Lord and Savior’s words here can make all the difference to the quality and texture of our lives.
In many ways, he offered the simplest and clearest answer than in any other place in the Bible.
The most important thing must be to know God, intimately, and his revealed son, Jesus Christ.
We know God by spending time with him, by seeking him earnestly with broken and contrite hearts( a heart that is not puffed up or focuses on itself), in humility and faith believing that he is and he rewards those who diligently seek him.
Max Lucado explains this well:
“We cross a line…when our deepest desire is not the things of God, or a favor from God, but God himself, we cross a threshold. Less self-focus, more God-focus. Less about me, more about him.”
We can have only Him and through his everlasting love, he will provide all that we need not just for now but forever.
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or “What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Matthew 6:31-33(NKJV)
I will leave you with these stirring words from the song Nothing Else by Cody Carnes, I pray you’re reminded of what truly matters and you spend time with your loving father.
Nothing Else
“I’m sorry when I’ve just gone through the motions
I’m sorry when I just sang another song
Take me back to where we started
I open up my heart to You
I’m sorry when I’ve come with my agenda
I’m sorry when I forgot that You’re enough
Take me back to where we started
I open up my heart to You.
I’m caught up in Your presence
I just want to sit here at Your feet
I’m caught up in this holy moment
I never want to leave.
Oh! I’m not here for blessings
Jesus, You don’t owe me anything
And more than anything that You can do
I just want You”
I’m coming back to where we started
When I first felt Your love
You’re all that matters, Jesus
You’re all that matters
I’m coming back to what really matters
Just Your heart
I just want to bless Your heart, Jesus.
Nothing Else by Cody Carnes
Thanks Chioma for this, it pays to know God.
Hi Rose, you’re so welcome. It certainly pays to know God and be known by Him. ??