Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today’s let’s be inspired to serve God reverently.

Today’s scripture, Psalms 2:11 (AMP)
tells us to…
[11] Worship the Lord and serve Him with reverence [with awe-inspired fear and submissive wonder]; Rejoice [yet do so] with trembling.

Consider…
The idea of serving the Lord with awe-inspired fear and submissive wonder is a new mindset to me. Today’s scripture explanation of reverence is a real attitude changer. Awe-inspired fear and submissive wonder, sounds like anticipatory excitement.

Imagine working or playing for the most highly regarded person in your field. A person who has set the standard of excellence and is viewed as the foremost expert on everything you aspire to accomplish. Also a person known for bringing out the best in people and helping them achieve more they could think or imagine. Would that excite you?

Perhaps my imagination of a generic person is too vague to appreciate the magnitude of serving with awe-inspired fear and submissive wonder. So let’s rattle off some examples to paint a clearer picture. How awe-inspiring would it be to…

• Play basketball with Michael Jordan
• Design cars with Elon Musk
• Build computers with Bill Gates
• Play football with Tom Brady
• Sing songs with musical genius, Stevie Wonder
• Play tennis with Serena Williams
• Ship packages with Jeff Bezos
• Act with Denzel Washington or Meryl Streep

If given the opportunity to play or work with any of these highly regarded individuals, would you submit to their wisdom and instructions with wonderment?

Hebrews 12:2-3 (AMP) tells us the way to fulfill our God assigned task is by…
[2] [looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work]. [Ps 110:1] [3] Just consider and meditate on Him who endured from sinners such bitter hostility against Himself [consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. A Father’s Discipline

Imagine serving God by following Jesus’ example.

Philippians 2:5-8 (NLT) expounds on our role model’s service attitude. It says…
[5] You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. [6] Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. [7] Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, [8] he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Verse 8 provides a synonym to awe-inspired fear and submissive wonder, which is humble obedience to God!

That’s because implicit in serving with awe-inspired fear and submissive wonder is a belief that you’re submitting to the subject matter expert who can ensure success.

Well, based on Philippians 2:9-11 (NLT), Jesus is the expert on pleasing God. It declares…
[9] Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

It’s clear that Jesus pleased God Father in His humble obedience. See Matthew 3:13-17 (NLT) for additional evidence of Jesus’ humble obedience pleasing God…
[13] Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. [14] But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?” [15] But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him. [16] After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. [17] And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

Jesus’ baptism teaches us that humble obedience doesn’t focus on who others say we are, but instead it focuses on doing what we know God wants us to do.

In my sanctified imagination, while Jesus was being baptized, the following hymn was being sung…

1 A charge to keep I have,
a God to glorify,
a never-dying soul to save,
and fit it for the sky.

2 To serve the present age,
my calling to fulfill,
O may it all my pow’rs engage
to do my Master’s will!

3 Arm me with watchful care
as in Thy sight to live,
and now Thy servant, Lord, prepare
a strict account to give!

Jesus’ humble obedience in baptism and crucifixion makes me wonder if there is anywhere else we see Him serve His Father with awe-inspired fear and submissive wonder? The Holy Spirit directed me to John 5:19-21 (NLT) which shares…
[19] So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. [20] For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished. [21] For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants.

Wait a minute, the Holy Spirit just made a transformational connection for me. Jesus said that He only did what He saw His Father do. Where would He see His Father do things? Now reconsider what Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:10 (NLT)…
[10] May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Remember Hebrews 12:2 said Jesus endured the cross because of the joy set before Him? Could it be Jesus already saw you and I living with Him in eternity before He willingly died on calvary? Did Jesus know the answer before taking the test? Now imagine yourself being like Jesus and knowing the glorious end before going through the suffering short-story.

Imagine serving God with a Romans 8:18-19 (NLT) mindset…
[18] Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. [19] For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.

I believe God’s future glory is part of what inspired Jesus to endure the cross and disregard the shame. Because Jesus knew God’s plan, He was inspired to submit with the excitement of seeing it fulfilled.

The Holy Spirit is saying that’s the same awe-inspired attitude that God wants us to serve Him with.

The last thought that I am being led to leave you with is from Jesus Himself. In Mark 10:43-45 (NLT) He said…
[43] But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, [44] and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. [45] For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The Holy Spirit says that our awe-inspired fear and submissive wonder service to God is expressed by how we selflessly serve others. We serve God by living according to the Philippians 2:3-4 (NLT) credo, which says…
[3] Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. [4] Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

That’s exactly what Christ did for us. As 1 John 3:16 (NLT) explains…
[16] We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

So today, serve God with awe-inspired fear and submissive wonder, by being a living sacrifice for Him, just like Jesus was. (Romans 12:1)

Today’s Song is…
Serve

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)