Happy New Year 2025! A Reasonable Service
As we enter the year, I’ve been having great conversations about preparing the heart for 2025. I find myself reflecting on a sermon I recently heard at a family church. The message was simple yet profoundly impactful: What does it mean to give God acceptable service?
An Acceptable Service: Reflecting on Reasonable Service to God
This message felt especially fitting for the end of the year—a season of gratitude, reflection, and planning for what’s to come. Often, as Christians, we overcomplicate the Bible, the commandments, and the instructions of God. Yet, God is not a complicated God. He is clear in His expectations, and His guidance is designed to lead us into peace, purpose, and joy.
The sermon explored how we can give God a service that is both reasonable and acceptable, and it offered key points that I believe are worth meditating on as we step into a new season.
What is an Acceptable Service?
To give God an acceptable service, the first step is to accept the service itself. This means acknowledging that as children of God, we all have a part to play in His Kingdom. Service is not just for pastors, ministers, or leaders—it’s for everyone. God has uniquely equipped each of us with talents, resources, and opportunities to serve Him and others.
The question is: What can you do? What has God placed in your hands, your heart, or your life that can be used to glorify Him?
The sermon outlined four key ways we can approach our service to God:
1. Serve with Obedience
Obedience is fundamental to acceptable service. God doesn’t require perfection—He requires a willing and obedient heart. When we serve in alignment with His Word, we demonstrate our love and trust in Him.
“If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.” – Isaiah 1:19
2. Serve with Singleness of Heart
Serving with singleness of heart means serving with pure motives. It’s about focusing solely on pleasing God, not seeking recognition or approval from others. Our service should flow from a place of love and devotion.
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” – Colossians 3:23
3. Understand That You Have Something to Offer
Sometimes, we feel inadequate or unsure of our abilities, but God reminds us that He has placed gifts within us to fulfil His purposes. Your time, kindness, skills, or even your willingness to pray for others are all forms of service that God can use.
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” – 1 Peter 4:10
4. Simplify Your Understanding of Service
God doesn’t call us to overcomplicate His instructions. Service is simply about loving Him with all our heart, soul, and mind—and loving others as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39). Whether it’s sharing your testimony, helping a neighbour, or offering a kind word, every act of service counts.
A Reflection for the New Year
As we enter the final days of the year and begin a new chapter, this message is an invitation to pause and reflect. Ask yourself:
• Am I serving God with obedience and a pure heart?
• What gifts or opportunities has God placed in my life that I can use to serve Him and others?
• How can I simplify my understanding of service and focus on what truly matters?
God’s expectations of us are not burdensome; they are reasonable and achievable when we rely on His grace. Let this be the year where we step into our purpose with clarity, joy, and commitment to serving Him wholeheartedly.
