Christians: I feel that Im only serving God...?

Question

because of the rewards God will give and fear of Hell. How can I change my way of thinking? Dont tell me to re-accept him into my heart because Ive done that many, many times. PLEASE HELP ME

Answer 1

You have to develope a relationship with God. If you are only serving Him for rewards, then there is no relationship. Spend time in prayer and the Scriptures. Talk to your minister or a lay minister in your church or local church for help.

Answer 2

God looks with pity and love for you. But,you must read his word. You cannot go to heaven thinking the way you do. The only way is by loving him for what he did for you on the cross. If you do that you will get the rewards he mentions. About the fear of Hell.Read Revelation chapter 21 verse 8. It says : The fearful,and unbelieving,and the abominable,and murderers,whoremongers,sorcerers,idolaters,and all liars,shall have their part in the lake which burns with fir and brimstone,which is the second death. The fearful it mentions here is the kind of fear you have. And,also notice, it is a death. This fire will kill you. You will not suffer eternity in a fiery hell. The Bible says in so many places that you will die. So, just love him for what he did. I hope he told me the right thing to tell you.

Answer 3

When you FALL IN LOVE with God, you'd love Him even if He sent you to hell.

You'd love Him even if you lost everything like Job did.

You have to feel that He loves you and then when you believe that He does, you start to TRUST Him more and more for all the little things in your life. And you start to rely on Him to give you advice and speak to your heart on a daily basis. You lose all fear because perfect love of God casts out all fear.

Start seeing God as a Person who hears you and understands your needs and faults and heart.

Start reading the Bible and believing what you read is true.

Little by little He'll become so real to you that you won't even think of heaven or hell or any reward...just to see His lovely face will seem enough reward to you.

Answer 4

What I though of when I read your dilemma is that maybe instead of trying to re-accept him into your heart( since you stated you have already tried that) reevaluate your faith in God. Believing in God out of fear seems pointless, how about finding something about your religion that you believe in out of pure faith, something not based on fear. For example, the ten commandments, here's a question, Do you honor your father and mother because you fear hell and only want the rewards God will give you? or do you love your parents because you love them? Do you chose to not kill someone because your afraid of hell or is it because you don't want to hurt someone? I am hoping and guessing you love your parents because you do and you don't kill because you don't want to hurt anyone. Maybe if you focus on the things you do that do serve God in a fearless non reward type of way it will give you what you are searching for.

Answer 5

Try to read the scriptures with a view to really getting to know God as a person and you will come to love and understand him. Also, realize that the wages of sin is death, not eternal torment and that will free you of the fear you experience. The only healthy fear is a respectful fear of the one who created you and who can destroy you if you are not a person who can love others enough to be an asset in the new world.

Answer 6

Yeah, thats the whole problem with that "God fearing and fire and brimstone stuff"...When I think about God I feel great...but I'm not a Christian either...I was raised a Christian but I felt like you that the punishment of eternal damnation was always being threatened...exactly what your going through...the rewards of God to me are realizing the miracle of the here and now...it's a very cool way to live...and I don't live in fear.

Answer 7

You can think like this... Our God is God and no matter what or anything we do, He will remain as God. Serving Him or Not ... will not make HIM more God or Less God either. So, Serving God must come from your WILL as to show your gratitude and appreciation for ALL the blessings He has given to us. Serving Him is only the way we can show that we are grateful for giving us our Life or to exist in this world. And of course no matter how sinful or unworthy we are ... we know that we are still welcome to His Love.

Okidoki... and you don't just change the way you think... i hope you feel His presence in order for you to say that serving Him is the only mere thing you can do to response to His Love.

Have a blessed day!

Answer 8

I think avoiding eternal damnation is a pretty good reason! I'm not big on the reward system, though! I don't deserve any rewards. I haven't suffered, but I have surely caused problems for others. However, God loves me and understands my failings. I test His patience daily with my disobedience and control issues.

Answer 9

From C.S. Lewis's Great Divorce:

"Don't you see you are not beginning at all as long as you are in that state of mind? You're treating God only as a means [to see your son in heaven]. But the whole thickening treatment consists in learning to want God for His own sake."

The picture Lewis paints isn't so much of a God who sits there on a throne, frowning, arbitrarily condemning people to hell so much as a place we send ourselves. Lewis wrote, "There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.' "

In other words, if your heart is set on serving God, you don't have to worry about anything else.

I would recommend getting your hands on some of C. S. Lewis's books. Hope that at least kind of helps.

Answer 10

You only have to be saved once to receive the privileges of Heaven, but when you sin you need to repent of your sins because the day you accept Christ, you realize immediately the difference between right and wrong. I understand how you feel, we went through a bad experience at a church we dearly loved, but they wouldn't accept our teenagers for who they were (not bad kids at all, just normal teenagers). Look around for a good church and try to slowly get involved if you find one you like. For me, small churches are good because you can get to know people better - christian fellowship also helps to build your relationship with Christ. Start praying also because the devil wants you to doubt. God bless you.

Answer 11

Study 1 Cor.13:1-13 about LOVE. Pray and work on this quality. When you have it you will serve God with this motive, it is the only one that last and endures all things, leading to faithfulness and blessings.

Also, learn all you can about the qualities of God and Jesus, and your appreciation for them will grow. Best wishes...