How to become a servant of God
God’s servants are those who receive and obey God’s instructions.1 In order to become a servant of God, you need to learn something about God’s will and seek to bring it to pass.
To serve God is to prioritize his interests above your own.2 You cannot serve God if anything else in your life holds a higher priority than his purpose.3 Service to God requires singleness of purpose4 and your full intensity.5
Those who claim to serve God yet do not obey him are not his servants.6 If you disobey God’s instructions or work against his purposes, you are not his servant.7 You can occupy your time in seemingly religious duties, even with fervor and true intent, and still not be a servant of God if you don’t actually obey what God says8 and do what he would rather you do.9
A servant of God is distinguished by their obedience to God, not a title or office held in a church. Church office is not required to serve God, and church office is not an adequate replacement for actually serving him. You can hold a position in a church without serving God.10 An appointment to a church office does not magically confer power or holiness onto the occupant, as it does not force them to adopt the purpose of God or become more like him. Church offices are meant to be occupied by those who are already like Christ,11 not those who hope to one day become like him.12
Footnotes
- 1. Some scriptures figuratively refer to those who unknowingly advance his purposes as his servants (see, for example, references to Nebuchadnezzar as God’s servant in Jeremiah 25:9). In this chapter, only those who willingly and intentionally serve God are discussed. ↩
- 2. But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? (Luke 17:7-8) ↩
- 3. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24) And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. (Mark 3:24-26) ↩
- 4. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men. (Ephesians 6:5-7) ↩
- 5. ...love the Lord your God...walk in all his ways...cleave unto him, and...serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Joshua 22:5) Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men. (Colossians 3:22-23) ↩
- 6. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21) ↩
- 7. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. (Isaiah 1:2-3) ↩
- 8. And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46) [The Lord said] go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord? And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. (1 Samuel 15:18-24) ↩
- 9. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23) ↩
- 10. A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts To you priests who despise My name.... (Malachi 1:6, NKJV) ↩
- 11. And this is the manner after which they were ordained—being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such. (Alma 13:3) And after this manner did they ordain priests and teachers, according to the gifts and callings of God unto men; and they ordained them by the power of the Holy Ghost, which was in them. (Moroni 3:4) ↩
- 12. After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. (1 Kings 13:33) ↩