Colossians 3:23-24 23 whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men; 24 knowing that from the Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance: ye serve the Lord Christ.

In His Word, God commands us to serve one another. (See Gal. 5:13.) However, in life there will inevitably be difficult people who make this mandate challenging.

Thankfully, a biblical definition of service can help us obey the Lord’s instruction, no matter who the recipient may be. And the reason is that God is actually the One whom we serve.

When we have this motivation underlying everything we do, it will impact the quality of our work and keep us from becoming discouraged. Then, whatever our task—whether we lead a company, teach children, or do something less appealing—if our goal is to glorify God, we will do our best in His strength. And we trust Him to use us for His purposes, even if our labor should appear fruitless to us or to others.

When I was a child, I had to wake up before daylight to deliver newspapers. Even in rain or snow, I still had to complete the job. This was hard for me to do. Then the Lord impressed upon my heart that I was not merely bringing papers to people in my town; I was serving Jesus. As I understood this truth more, waking up and working was purposeful and doable. Truthfully, I still did not always feel like facing the work, but feelings were no longer relevant. I was serving my Maker.

Whomever God calls us to serve and whatever He tells us to do, we can obey with joyful hearts when it’s done for Jesus Christ. If this is our motivation, we won’t need worldly approval or evidence of impact. We need to know only that God is pleased and promises to reward those who serve Him (Heb. 11:6).

Bible in One Year: Psalms 60-66 Chapter 60 1 O God thou hast cast us off, thou hast broken us down; Thou hast been angry; oh restore us again. 2 Thou hast made the land to tremble; thou hast rent it: Heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh. 3 Thou hast showed thy people hard things: Thou hast made us to drink the wine of staggering. 4 Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah 5 That thy beloved may be delivered, Save with thy right hand, and answer us. 6 God hath spoken in his holiness: I will exult; I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth. 7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the defence of my head; Judah is my sceptre. 8 Moab is my washpot; Upon Edom will I cast my shoe: Philistia, shout thou because of me. 9 Who will bring me into the strong city? Who hath led me unto Edom? 10 Hast not thou, O God, cast us off? And thou goest not forth, O God, with our hosts. 11 Give us help against the adversary; For vain is the help of man. 12 Through God we shall do valiantly; For he it is that will tread down our adversaries. Psalm 61 For the Chief Musician; on a stringed instrument. `A Psalm' of David. Chapter 61 1 Hear my cry, O God; Attend unto my prayer. 2 From the end of the earth will I call unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For thou hast been a refuge for me, A strong tower from the enemy. 4 I will dwell in thy tabernacle for ever: I will take refuge in the covert of thy wings. Selah 5 For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: Thou hast given `me' the heritage of those that fear thy name. 6 Thou wilt prolong the king's life; His years shall be as many generations. 7 He shall abide before God for ever: Oh prepare lovingkindness and truth, that they may preserve him. 8 So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, That I may daily perform my vows. Psalm 62 For the Chief Musician; after the manner of Jeduthan. A Psalm of David. Chapter 62 1 My soul waiteth in silence for God only: From him `cometh' my salvation. 2 He only is my rock and my salvation: `He is' my high tower; I shall not be greatly moved. 3 How long will ye set upon a man, That ye may slay `him', all of you, Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence? 4 They only consult to thrust him down from his dignity; They delight in lies; They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah 5 My soul, wait thou in silence for God only; For my expectation is from him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation: `He is' my high tower; I shall not be moved. 7 With God is my salvation and my glory: The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. 8 Trust in him at all times, ye people; Pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah 9 Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: In the balances they will go up; They are together lighter than vanity. 10 Trust not in oppression, And become not vain in robbery: If riches increase, set not your heart `thereon'. 11 God hath spoken once, Twice have I heard this, That power belongeth unto God. 12 Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth lovingkindness; For thou renderest to every man according to his work. Psalm 63 A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. Chapter 63 1 O God, thou art my God; earnestly will I seek thee: My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, In a dry and weary land, where no water is. 2 So have I looked upon thee in the sanctuary, To see thy power and thy glory. 3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise thee. 4 So will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; And my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips; 6 When I remember thee upon my bed, `And' meditate on thee in the night-watches. 7 For thou hast been my help, And in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. 8 My soul followeth hard after thee: Thy right hand upholdeth me. 9 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, Shall go into the lower parts of the earth. 10 They shall be given over to the power of the sword: They shall be a portion for foxes. 11 But the king shall rejoice in God: Every one that sweareth by him shall glory; For the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped. Psalm 64 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Chapter 64 1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint: Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. 2 Hide me from the secret counsel of evil-doers, From the tumult of the workers of iniquity; 3 Who have whet their tongue like a sword, And have aimed their arrows, even bitter words, 4 That they may shoot in secret places at the perfect: Suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not. 5 They encourage themselves in an evil purpose; They commune of laying snares privily; They say, Who will see them? 6 They search out iniquities; We have accomplished, `say they', a diligent search: And the inward thought and the heart of every one is deep. 7 But God will shoot at them; With an arrow suddenly shall they be wounded. 8 So they shall be made to stumble, their own tongue being against them: All that see them shall wag the head. 9 And all men shall fear; And they shall declare the work of God, And shall wisely consider of his doing. 10 The righteous shall be glad in Jehovah, and shall take refuge in him; And all the upright in heart shall glory. Psalm 65 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm. A song of David. Chapter 65 1 Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion; And unto thee shall the vow be performed. 2 O thou that hearest prayer, Unto thee shall all flesh come. 3 Iniquities prevail against me: As for our transgressions, thou wilt forgive them. 4 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach `unto thee', That he may dwell in thy courts: We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, Thy holy temple. 5 By terrible things thou wilt answer us in righteousness, Oh God of our salvation, Thou that art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of them that are afar off upon the sea: 6 Who by his strength setteth fast the mountains, Being girded about with might; 7 Who stilleth the roaring of the seas, The roaring of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples. 8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice. 9 Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it, Thou greatly enrichest it; The river of God is full of water: Thou providest them grain, when thou hast so prepared the earth. 10 Thou waterest its furrows abundantly; Thou settlest the ridges thereof: Thou makest it soft with showers; Thou blessest the springing thereof. 11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; And thy paths drop fatness. 12 They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness; And the hills are girded with joy. 13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; The valleys also are covered over with grain; They shout for joy, they also sing. Psalm 66 For the Chief Musician. A song, a Psalm. Chapter 66 1 Make a joyful noise unto God, all the earth: 2 Sing forth the glory of his name: Make his praise glorious. 3 Say unto God, How terrible are thy works! Through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. 4 All the earth shall worship thee, And shall sing unto thee; They shall sing to thy name. Selah 5 Come, and see the works of God; `He is' terrible in his doing toward the children of men. 6 He turned the sea into dry land; They went through the river on foot: There did we rejoice in him. 7 He ruleth by his might for ever; His eyes observe the nations: Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah 8 Oh bless our God, ye peoples, And make the voice of his praise to be heard; 9 Who holdeth our soul in life, And suffereth not our feet to be moved. 10 For thou, O God, hast proved us: Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. 11 Thou broughtest us into the net; Thou layedst a sore burden upon our loins. 12 Thou didst cause men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place. 13 I will come into thy house with burnt-offerings; I will pay thee my vows, 14 Which my lips uttered, And my mouth spake, when I was in distress. 15 I will offer unto thee burnt-offerings of fatlings, With the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah 16 Come, and hear, all ye that fear God, And I will declare what he hath done for my soul. 17 I cried unto him with my mouth, And he was extolled with my tongue. 18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear: 19 But verily God hath heard; He hath attended to the voice of my prayer. 20 Blessed be God, Who hath not turned away my prayer, Nor his lovingkindness from me. Psalm 67 For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. A Psalm, a song.