The way that the world makes it sound, there is no good reason to serve God. They think that it is nonsense. They serve the government and look to the government to meet their every need. They live by bread alone. They missed what Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Man needs not only physical bread but spiritual nourishment as well. Are there any benefits to serving God? Psalm 103:2-5 answers this question, "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 3Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; 4Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; 5Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s." When one comes to the Lord, he gives up all of his liabilities and debts and receives all the assets of God. This is an unfair exchange in our favor. Let the dead fight over whether or not the Federal Government will give them prescription medicine benefit.
Application
To properly understand the Bible, we need to use what is known as applied theology.
Exodus 23:25 talks about some benefits we get for serving Him, "And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee." The fourth point of the covenant model is sanctions. By serving the Lord, we receive his blessings. He will provide in abundance all of our needs and heal us of all our sicknesses and diseases. We will be a healthy and prosperous people. It all gets back to obedience unto God’s law. Obedience to point three of the covenant model brings the blessings of point four.
Paul wrote about having enough in bounty to give to others in 2 Corinthians 9:6-11, "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 9(As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. 10Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) 11Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God." God will bless and give us enough so that on every occasion of doing good, we will be able to do so. Because of the bountifulness bestowed upon us,it will cause thanksgiving to be given to God for His faithfulness and outpouring upon His people.
The Lord will always give us an abundant supply of our earthly needs. Scripture is replete with instances of the Lord’s provision. The Sermon on Mount tells us, "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." If we seek God, God promises that He will meet every need that we have. This takes away all need for worry on our part. God has to be our first priority.
When the children of Israel had come out of Egypt and the Egyptians had been drowned in the Red Sea, God made a promise to them in Exodus 15:26, "And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee." Obedience to God brings physical healing and prevention from getting sick in the first place. This is a definite benefit considering the high price of seeing the doctor and the ever rising cost of medical care. The great thing about God healing us is that it is free. Obedience has its rewards. Deuteronomy 7:15 gives the same promise, "And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee." Instead of us getting diseases and sickness, God will put on those that hate Him and His people. This is another blessing the world cannot give.
The book of Revelation talks symbolically about the gospel’s healing power in Revelation 22:1-2, "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." The sound doctrine of the gospel produces health in all areas of life. Healing deals with wholeness and also so does salvation. The gospel heals not only the spirit but also the physical and mental. It affects the whole person as redemption is comprehensive.
Conclusion
It pays to serve the Lord. It does not pay to serve the devil. God’s benefit package includes eternal life. The devil’s is eternal death. As Joshua said in part in Joshua 24:15, "...choose you this day whom ye will serve.." Check out the benefits package before making your decision.
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