Why Serve?

For the love of Christ controls us. 2 Corinthians 5:14

D.L. MOODY
I am getting sick and tired of hearing the word duty, duty, duty. You hear so many talk about it being their duty to do this and do that. My experience is that such Christians have very little success. Is there not a much higher platform than that of mere duty? Can we not engage in the service of Christ because we love Him? When that is the constraining power it is so easy to work. 
It is not hard for a mother to watch over a sick child. She does not look upon it as any hardship. You never hear Paul talking about what a hard time he had in his Master’s service. He was constrained by love to Christ, and by the love of Christ to him. He counted it a joy to labor, and even to suffer, for his blessed Master.

ERWIN LUTZER
There are many reasons we should be motivated to serve God. The word love should be at the top of the list. That’s a wonderful motivation, and it is absolutely true that God would be worthy of worship and adoration and service even if we receive no rewards. 
There are other motivations that are biblical and legitimate. One is fear. Yes, you read correctly, I said fear. We read, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” Paul, speaking to Christians, adds, “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord we persuade others” (2 Corinthians 5:10–11). Even believers will be judged by what we did with what we were given. Let us never take for granted that Christ’s love for us will cancel His honest evaluation of our works and service done here on Earth. 
But love remains our primary motive; we should love God more than we love our sin. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

PRAYER
Father, help me to fear you and to love you more than I love my sin.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What motivates your service to God? Is it a sense of duty and obligation, or a heart of love and fear of the Lord?

What practical steps can you take to shift from an attitude of obligation to one of willing, joyful service?