Everybody wants the Good Lord to bless them and give them eternal life. We all want to go to heaven. But some of us want blessings and eternal life on our terms, not God’s terms.

From the beginning of time, God has asked man to do certain things. He has required man to be honest, moral, loving, and kind toward each other. Micah 6:8 says: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Our God has also required man to worship Him. Sacrifice was always a part of worship. Under the old covenant there were animal and grain offerings. Under the new covenant, Jesus was the once for all sacrifice. We are asked to offer a sacrifice of the lips in singing, we’re asked to offer a sacrifice of service and time.

In comparison with the sacrifices under the old law …our sacrifices under the new covenant in Christ …aren’t near as expensive.

The question for us to consider is, “Can God count on me, not just today, but can God count on me tomorrow, in the good times as well as the bad times? Can God count on me to be His servant through thick and thin for as long as I live?” Jesus said we have to calculate the cost to see if we are able to finish what we start. (Luke 14:25-33).

In Revelation 2:10 Jesus told the brethren in Smyrna, “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

In 1 Corinthians 15:58 Paul told the brethren, “Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Hebrews 10:24-25 says: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

In Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

We need men and women like Joshua, of old, who “left nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded” (Joshua 11:15).

In life God gives us a choice like the one he offered to the Israelites. Joshua 24:14-15 “Fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

When we come to the end of our life will they be able to call us “the servant of the LORD” as they did Joshua and other men of God like him (24:29-31)?

Can we make the same claim as Paul (2 Timothy 4:7-8)? He said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

The question remains, “Can God count on me…?” Let’s do whatever it takes to do the God’s will for as long as we live on God’s good earth!