You Trust but Do You Serve?

"You trust but do you serve?" has been a question on my mind more and more lately.

I know many wonderful people who seem to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, but I watch them being constantly distracted by the things of the world. It breaks my heart to know that the moth, rust, and thieves (Matthew 6:19) of this life will rob them of minutes, hours, and days that they could have given to God and to the building His Kingdom (Matthew 6:33).

Distractions, some are good, some are bad, some are amoral.

I am speaking to myself as well when I ask, "Is what you're doing so important to you that you skip over God in the midst of it?".

I get distracted by my "housework" and the pressure I place on myself to get it done (which seems to never be completed). I can  also become distracted by house repairs (painting and such) in the winter and my gardening in the summer. Before I know it, the day is gone and I tell myself I will start again tomorrow, as I crawl into bed and realize I spent away the day and never once thought about stopping to spend time with God in prayer or in reading His Word.

So may families today spend away so much of their time in the distraction of sports for their children. There are many reasons; some feel it makes their child more rounded, while others are looking for college scholarships to offset tuition. And yes, their are those who are trying to live out their own dreams through their children. Whatever the case, the problem comes in the distractions taking priority over God and His Kingdom.

What do I mean? What about the "You trust but do you serve?" question.

I started working in children's ministry at my church when I was thirteen years old, I am now in my late forties and still serving in children's ministry. In that time I have watched families fall apart. I have watched families spend most of the summer chasing vacation spot after vacation spot. I have seen families go from one "meet or tourney" to another as they travel the States for their child to "compete". I have watched as families see rain on a Sunday and decide it is just too "yucky" to go to church. Are you seeing a pattern here?

The pattern that I have seen (and that I am seeing with more and more families) is the lack of commitment to God that the distracted family has, especially when it come to the spiritual growth of their children.

Yes, I am a mother. My husband and I have two adult children. I can say that we as parents set a priority on going to church (each Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday evening), as well as serving together in the children's ministry each Sunday morning, and teaching parenting classes on Wednesday night. I am not looking to brag, but instead to make a point. We could have had our children involved in sports that engrossed all of our time or felt that certain days (Sundays included) were the only family time we really had or that the weekends during the summer were meant for the beach, but that is not the example we wanted to set for our children. We wanted our children to see that our top priority was God and honoring Him by serving in His church (which was our local body of believers).

You see, we have not only chosen to Trust Jesus as our Savior but we have also chosen to faithfully serve Him by serving others through our church body. And our children were there, watching on when they were young, and as teens, helping us as we did so. They are now serving in their churches, with their spouses and hopefully, one day with their children. Why? Because when we build the Kingdom of God, and we are seeking to honor Him with our lives, the moths, rust, and thieves of this world will gain nothing because our treasure with be secure with God and not invested on the fleeting moments of this world's distractions.

I am not saying that if you take a vacation or miss a Sunday once a month that you don't love God. But I am extending a challenge to serve and to let your children see you serve. If your child has an away game on a Sunday, strike up a spiritual conversation with the person next to you. If you're on vacation, find a local church and go as a family. If family time is limited due to crazy work schedules, give the time to God, go to church together, then trust Him to provide family time that will bring even more fulfillment and closeness.

God doesn't accept excuses. He says "...where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21).   Trust Him and Serve Him and take your children with you on the adventure!