What is the Right Proportional Response to God?

Anyone who knows me knows that ‘The West Wing’ is one of my favorite TV shows. I think it gives a solid look at politics in Washington. In one episode, the President must decide a proportional response to an American military aircraft being shot down. He wrestles with the idea if what has been proposed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff is enough or if it should be more.

This is something we should all wrestle with when it comes to our relationship with God. What is my proportional response to God, His love, His grace, His mercy, His provision, etc.?

I try live by the scripture from 1 Samuel 12:24 “Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.”

When I think about all the things God has done for me, I am in awe of Him. God gave me life, God gave me eternal life through the sacrifice of His son on the cross, God gave me Mindy, He gave me my kids, He gave me the opportunity to serve, He gave me a second chance at life, He gave me a grandchild, and I could go on and on and on. God has done everything for me. Knowing that then, I must decide what is the right proportional response to all He has done. 

First, I only fear God. As we serve God in our lives, there will be times that we have a fear of how people will respond to us. Either because of our actions or words that are driven by our faith. But I am not to fear those things, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” – Psalm 118:6

Second, I am to serve Him faithfully. One of the definitions of faithfully is “in a manner that is true to the facts or the original.” What does scripture say about God’s faithfulness? 2 Timothy 2:13 says “If we are faithless, He remains faithful – for He cannot deny Himself.” Just like love, faithfulness is who He is, He cannot be anything but faithful. Therefore, it must be who we are too. 

When we see the phrase, “with all your heart”, like we see in that verse in 1 Samuel, it’s not talking about your organ. It’s talking about your inner being. Serving Him with such faith that people see, it’s just who you are. 

Can people say that about you? Are you serving Him with the right proportional response? If not, what changes can you make in your life to serve God for the betterment of the kingdom?

See you Sunday,

Pastor Glen