The decision to serve God often comes with a price that is hard to see at first. Serving God is a lifelong commitment not just through faith but through our deeds. Saying we believe in the Lord is not sufficient, our actions must demonstrate this faith in order for us to receive the blessings that await us. There are those times in life when this service comes in the way of our normal day to day activities. During these times we judge ourselves seeking respite from the almighty for our actions. Below are some examples of when this might occur in our lives and how we can find peace for our actions.
Failing to keep promises
Our word should be our honor. The promises we make to one another should be the basis for trust and friendship. Sometimes these promises are called to question when we find ourselves carried away to serve God, either as a teacher, a healer or the many more ways in which we can. During these times we should not feel defeated by the disapproval we receive from man. By giving our lives to God we have also made a lifetime commitment and it is better to break a promise to man than to God. Looking at things from a higher perspective God can always repair our relationship with man. God knows what we feel and knows our hearts. He can always bring the peace that we desire to settle our differences with man.
Addressing our loyalties
Our loyalty to God should always reign supreme. This means we should be committed to him above anything and anyone else. This also means that if we are faced with the choice of choosing between God's way and man's way albeit whereby we run the risk of jeopardizing our relationship with man then we must choose God. Once more God reads our hearts and the spirit is witness to all situations and conditions and knows that our actions are not out of contempt. We should never feel guilty for doing what is right.
Proclaiming the Lord's name
Sometimes the forums we attend in society dictate to us that mentioning the Lord's name could make us pariahs. We are tongue tied because we sense rebuke for choosing the Lord over man. On these occasions we must choose God and proclaim his name regardless. We would never win with man whether we mention God's name or not. On the other hand God would always be there for us, so regardless of how we may look before others we must learn to mention his name with pride and without reservation.
These three scenarios are the most common in our existence of when we have to sacrifice for God over man. They are illustrated profoundly with these words from the bible, 'For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of God.' The bible also teaches us with the words, '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.' These words should be the basis for having to make our decisions in the above mentioned scenarios.
