It is a blessed thing to serve God at all, for we are unable to do so naturally; if a thought of service ever enters our natural hearts, it is one of bondage — the service of a hard and austere master. This is one of the things which show how entirely man has departed from God. If we look at angels, those “angels who excel in strength,” they “do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word.” “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” The highest angel is but in the place of a servant, yet it is a blessed thing to serve, and they bless God for it.
Everyone has known how painful the thought of service is to the natural heart, and unless we see that service is connected with liberty, such will always be the thought. Redemption shows us that we are free, yet free to serve. This is the fruit of redemption, that we are free to be the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the saints, for His sake. If we did not know that we were free, we should be seeking only to serve ourselves. This will ever be the case until we know redemption, how God has saved us, and how Jesus is serving in heaven for us. The great thing for us to do is to look how the Lord Jesus served.
Christian Friend