Are you “willing” to serve the Lord, however, wherever, and whenever? Or do you “desire” to serve Him in that capacity? I am not playing a game of semantics here. Sure, both attitudes are obedient on the surface, but they are not the same, and the difference is a heart matter.

One says, I will obey You because it is the right thing to do, but it infers possible reluctance, maybe skepticism, and a lack of genuine desire to serve the Lord. Kind of like, “I will … if I must.”

But to say, “I desire to serve You Lord” is another thing entirely. It says, “I want to do Your will.” Actively seeking to serve the Lord, to do His will, is very different than just being “willing” to serve the Lord … if you must.

“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So, let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)

The missing ingredient between being willing and desirous to serve the Lord, is love. Love has the characteristic of a servant’s heart. Love is willing to put others before themselves. True Love desires to serve rather than be served. Jesus Christ said of Himself that He did not come to be served but to serve. (Matthew 20:28) 

The difference between these two things reminds me of two phrases we often hear in our society when someone says, “Thank you.”

One response is, “You are welcome” or “My pleasure” (Thanks to Chick-fil-a), which implies delight on the part of the one who is serving. That person appears to be serving from a cheerful heart with a genuine desire to serve others. And the one being served by them is blessed because of it.

The other popular response when someone says, “Thank you,” is “No problem,” which has become a part of our colloquial speech. This response infers, “It’s fine, I’ll forgive you for inconveniencing me. … I’m just doing my job, being obedient, biding my time, etc.” It infers that the person is serving “grudgingly or out of necessity.”

As the one being served, that response does not bless me. On the contrary, it makes me feel as though I am an inconvenience to the one serving me. It is the same underlying attitude as “I am willing … if I must.” As opposed to, “I am happy to serve you. It truly is ‘my pleasure.’”

Imagine, sir, if when you asked your wife to marry you, she said in response, “Yes. I am willing to marry you.” Imagine, ma’am, if you asked your husband to spend time with you, and he said, “OK. If I must.” 

What if we asked our children to do something, and they responded, “OK. I do not want to be punished, so I will do it.” Each of those scenarios ended in the desired “result,” but where is the love?

Now, imagine these responses – “Yes! I will marry you. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Or, “Of course I will spend time with you, my love. What would you like to do?” And lastly, “Yes, sir, or yes, ma’am,” followed by immediate obedience with a great attitude. Do you see the difference?

Yes, God wants His children to be “willing” to serve Him, to be obedient, that is the first step. But more than that, I believe God wants His children, as do we our children, to desire to serve Him, to want to do His will out of our love for Him.

I hope that it truly is “your pleasure” and desire to serve the Lord, however, wherever and whenever. Because when that is your heart’s desire, you will be blessed immeasurably, knowing that your service is unto the Lord first and foremost; and that kind of attitude always blesses the Lord because we know, He “loves a cheerful giver.”

 

Lisa Hannan lives in Valdosta with her husband, attorney Miles Hannan, who has been practicing law in Valdosta for more than 30 years. She has a B.S. in psychology from Valdosta State University.

You can find her at www.lisahannan.org.