And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance for you serve the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24

 As a Christian, when you do something for God, are you doing it for Him or yourself? Many people would quickly answer that they are serving God, but when you peel back the layers of intention, is your acts of service true worship?

 We can easily mess up our service with other intentions. Let me explain. Maybe you haven’t been living in obedience to God, like you should, so you think in your mind if I serve God, it will right my wrongs. Possibly you are trying to “fit in” with the active member’s club at church and feel this is your doorway to acceptance. And then there is always the prideful approach, where you believe your acts of service to the Lord will make you look good in front of other people, giving you a certain status amongst your peers. There are other intentions that can drive you to serve that only serve yourself and not truly God.

 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17

 So, how can you make sure that you are serving God and not for other reasons?  Prayer is essential for any act of service. Prayer opens the line of communication with God and He speaks through His Holy Spirit, directing your service. In your prayer, you ask God to empty anything in you that might take away from the purity of service, such as pride, deceit, even jealousy. Train your mind to understand that the only reason you are serving Him is because He so graciously served you through His Son’s sacrifice on the cross for the redemption of your soul, and you are serving Him out of thankfulness. Finally, realize that you are the hands, feet, and mouthpiece of Jesus Christ in your service and everything you do should be a reflection of Him. Any service that doesn’t reflect Christ’s character should be purged and reset your heart.

Consider it a blessing to serve God, by returning a very small portion of His blessings back to Him for what He has done and will continue to do in your life. Serve Him with a pure heart! Blessings!