whirlingmerc
Well-Known Member
Many claim to serve God but what does it mean?
-
Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.
Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:- Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
- Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
- Access to private conversations with other members.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!
What does it mean to serve God?
- Thread starter whirlingmerc
- Start date
-
- Tags
- serving god
Subhankar Zac
Hare Krishna,Hare Krishna,
It means:
1. Doing ones duty without any expectations of persunal benefits till one's last breath.
2. Be hygienic and clean.
3. Be brave
4. Devote oneself to transcendental knowledge.
5. Sing "hare Krishna" daily along making a healthy routine of serving nature, animals and people the best you can.
That's my PERSONAL OPINION.
1. Doing ones duty without any expectations of persunal benefits till one's last breath.
2. Be hygienic and clean.
3. Be brave
4. Devote oneself to transcendental knowledge.
5. Sing "hare Krishna" daily along making a healthy routine of serving nature, animals and people the best you can.
That's my PERSONAL OPINION.
To me it means living a Godly way of life; service to the god within others.
I agree, but be careful that you do not direct your gratefulness to another, instead of God.
Last edited:
Father Heathen
Veteran Member
Why would an infinite, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, etc. being have a need to be worshiped or served? Why would such a being have a petty, frail ego similar to us primates?
I am sure that to serve God means to do good to others and to learn to take care of the self better.
Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
Being grateful to another is being grateful to god. Do you agree?
I do not agree. I can see that sometimes gratefulness makes a person stick to the object he or she regards as the source of that which to be grateful for.
In other words, she is taught good news and instead of seeking God to show her gratefulness to, she shows it to her human teachers. Exodus 34:14
Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
@jeager106 I actually agree with Jeager, being grateful.
Serving god or serving in life whether it's for ourselves or other people is the mark of serving god. If we think of god outside ourselves, then that isn't serving as a lot of us serve in charity. That is more obligation to give. Unconditional love and gratitude shouldn't come by obligation but by choice and willingness to serve once's external god (if so be) or to others and life (how I define god).
Serving god is another way of saying you are putting yourself in acts of charity. You don't need to serve other people to understand gratitude; and, it helps to serve others to see gratitude in many layers than one.
If god is outside oneself, I'd say serving god means being a disciple or a follower. It would mean taking your self out and replacing your goals and will with that of one's god. It means replacing your actions for yourself and others and starting with placing actions for god.
To me, that type of service is more "ego" than it is gratitude. We want to help our own spiritual needs without see others a priority in those needs just the same as god. I find that unhealthy in that sense, but then again, I feel it is better to help others before myself. By helping others, I am helping myself in return. It's a push pull type of thing. Relationship.
Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
Not exactly.
Matthew 25:45
New Living Translation
"And he will answer, 'I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.'
King James Bible
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
What you do for others-your brothers and sisters in Christ as well as people (as Christ did for you and everyone), you are doing for Christ and hence god (or whichever you prefer).
Once you do things for god as a priority, then you put Jesus' example on the back seat because he looked to other people-and by doing so-serving other people, he served his Father. When he served his Father. It's a combination not a one or another. Definitely not "I am greater than the other." If one things of god in a priority way, it sounds more ego or more self-centered (let me help myself before I help others).
However, if you sacrifice yourself like Christ or do for others like god, then by example of helping others, you are helping your god.
I wouldn't write others off as not an priority compared to god. Many women would die for their children but if God asked them to kill their child, only X amount would. The people who would not are in doing for others and thereby doing for god. However, in the OT, there are a lot of contradicting views on what Jesus said. Abraham was about to kill his son for god. I find that a step back from what sacrifice means. Sacrifice means sacrifice yourself-your spirituality, your future, everything you value, yourself, your body-for another. I feel he would have done more for god if he would have given himself to god to keep his child alive.
Yet, Jesus comes in and says the same thing. What you do for others you did for me.
Do you agree? If not, how not? Explain.
YmirGF
Bodhisattva in Recovery
Actually, Carlita, I quite like that. Nice feel to it.
Sometimes yes. But I see many people cling to the human source to obey it, instead of siding with God to obey God.
I do not agree with the premise that any good work is for God's will be done. 1 Corinthians 3:9 To do any kind of charity is to build your own house. To do charity that is God's will is to be a co-worker with God building God's house.
Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
I think you're coming at this a bit different than me. A lot of people do not hold that view when they do charity or what others call "works." Doing things for others and acting in worship rather than just thinking and studying it is doing for god. It's a deep seeded devotion that I haven't seen from anyone other than people who follow Liturgical faiths from Catholic and Jehovah's Witness to some sects of Baptists (give or take) and a few others can't think off the top of my head.
I mean, I feel that's how it's supposed to be. Your actions whether in worship or to others is for god not for oneself. That's what those scriptures mean. Works isn't a bad thing when it is seen as works for god not for oneself. There is a scripture on that about Jesus telling his disciples why they worry what day of the Sabbath people worship in. He said that if one person wants to worship one one day and another on another is not the point. Then he goes on with fasting and whether one should fast or not. He ends with if it's for the father, than why say your brother is at fault for doing one thing for god that you do for the same person in another way.
It's interesting how people see the Bible.
@Carlita OK. It is my opinion that charity means doing some kind of help to somebody. Jesus says you are on the road to life if you help the least of his brothers.
That is a certain kind of charity to a certain kind of person. It is helping someone who is for God's will be done. Look around! Not everyone is for God's will be done. Are they?
The thing is, a person has to have faith to be able to do the right thing for the right person. Do you agree? But, doing good to anyone is not something to avoid imo.
The discussion is about serving God so that is what I am talking about. Not all charity is God's will imo. In a perfect world it is. The world is not perfect.
An example. Give money to a beggar and he buys cigarettes. God's will be done?
Visit a person who is for Jehovah and he will bless you. That is God's will imo.
That is a certain kind of charity to a certain kind of person. It is helping someone who is for God's will be done. Look around! Not everyone is for God's will be done. Are they?
The thing is, a person has to have faith to be able to do the right thing for the right person. Do you agree? But, doing good to anyone is not something to avoid imo.
The discussion is about serving God so that is what I am talking about. Not all charity is God's will imo. In a perfect world it is. The world is not perfect.
An example. Give money to a beggar and he buys cigarettes. God's will be done?
Visit a person who is for Jehovah and he will bless you. That is God's will imo.
Katzpur
Not your average Mormon
Well, I once read that most Christians want to serve God -- but only in an advisory capacity.
But seriously, I believe that the best way we can serve God is by serving our fellow human beings. After all, the Bible says, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." The Book of Mormon says much the same thing: "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."
Because we mere mortals tend to see human behavior in things we don't
really understand.
Bambi complex don'cha'know.
Anthropomorphism.
- an·thro·po·mor·phism1
/ˌanTHrəpəˈmôrfizəm/
noun- the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object
In a sporting goods store us guys were talking about deer hunting.
A lady said, "how can you shoot those graceful running creatures?"
I replied, "ya gotta lead 'em right."
I don't hunt much any longer but I've taken over 50 Ohio White tail deer.
Ate everyone of 'em.
I have one in the Pope and Young (archery) record book and Ohio big Buck Club.
If I didn't eat 'em I wouldn't shoot 'em.
But I digress. Again.
whirlingmerc
Well-Known Member
The book of Hebrews seems to emphasize believing there is a reward is good and even required Note how many times Hebrews is repeating things about reward near where it defines faith
Hebrews 10:35
Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:26
He [Moses] considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
Hebrews 10:35
Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:26
He [Moses] considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
Last edited:
whirlingmerc
Well-Known Member
And I think we serve God after He serves us Jesus came not (primarily) to be served but to serve Jesus served us first and so we can serve Him acceptably
Isaiah 64:4
4 From of old no one has heard
or perceived by the ear,
no eye has seen a God besides you,
who acts for those who wait for him.
God acts first and we love Him because He first loved us.
Isaiah 64:4
4 From of old no one has heard
or perceived by the ear,
no eye has seen a God besides you,
who acts for those who wait for him.
God acts first and we love Him because He first loved us.