Serving With Vigilance

REV GOH YONG KUANG

Years ago, I stumbled upon a SMRT website, which has a page on the roles and responsibilities of a Bus Captain. The Bus Captain does not only drive the bus, but he is also responsible for the safety of his passengers. He can’t afford to be careless and reckless. He must stay alert, for his life and the lives of his passengers depend on it. For example, he has to watch out for wet and slippery roads, avoid any unusual object or potholes on the road that might cause him to lose control. He must make sure that he has sufficient rest so that he might not fall asleep at the wheel and endanger his own life and the lives of his passengers.

Those who follow and serve God will face fierce resistance from the evil one. He is an active enemy who will put all kinds of obstacles in front of us so that we cannot continue our journey of service to God. Therefore, we must stay vigilant so that we might not fall into his trap.

What are some common obstacles or pitfalls to avoid?

1.        Losing our passion and spiritual fervour.

Think of the first time you fell in love with God or the first time you gave yourself to His service. As the years go by, serving God may gradually become a routine and a chore. Are you still following God and serving Him with the same passion and enthusiasm as when you first started?

2.       Neglecting our relationship with God.    

In the Song of Solomon, the young bride lamented to her beloved that she had been busy tending to the vineyard of others that she had neglected to care for her own vineyard (Song of Solomon 1:6).

This could also be a picture of those of us who are called to follow and serve God. We are constantly tending to the needs of our brothers and sisters that we may neglect our own spiritual well-being. Remember the story of Martha – she was so caught up with serving others that she had forgotten about the one thing that Jesus said was necessary (Luke 10:42). We can be so busy serving the Lord that we fail to make time for the Lord we serve!

3.       Relying on the natural

There is a danger of relying on our natural gifts and abilities. The more gifted we are – the greater the potential danger. Instead of relying on God, our first instinct is to rely on our own

strength. Many of us bring into our service to God – our skills, our trainings and experience. Not a bad thing, until we rely on them instead of on God. When faced with a challenging situation, sometimes we unknowingly fall back on our own human wisdom and reasoning. We are often in danger of walking by sight, rather than by faith. We want to see the full picture before we step out, instead of trusting the God who has a fuller and bigger picture. God’s work is supernatural work. His plan doesn’t always make sense! Is there anything in your life and ministry which cannot be explained apart from the Spirit of God? Jesus says, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). His work must be done His way, not ours.

May God help us to stay watchful and vigilant in our journey of following and serving Him!