“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. … Matthew 6:24Except He does have a plan. We are put on Earth by our Creator to serve others in one way or another. God wants us to make a difference during our life. It may be a big difference, or a very small one–but it is a difference designed specifically for us. We can ignore that, or take it to heart, but it’s a fact that the world will be changed, for better or worse, because we are here.
If we serve God, we know our lives will be worthwhile. Though we may not appear to be society’s idea of success, we will be successful if we follow Him.
If we are not following God, then we are following something or somebody that won’t bring us authentic joy— Only the holy are happy.
God has a unique plan for each of us, a mission that we may not, at once, be aware of. We discover it by staying close to God in prayer and in the service of others–when we serve others, we are serving God. And that gives our lives great meaning.
The following song by Bob Dylan is about finding meaning in life through serving God. At the time of writing, Dylan was a born-again Christian, hence the song’s religious message: “You’re gonna have to serve somebody/Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord/But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
John Lennon thought this song was “embarrassing” and wrote “Serve Yourself” in response to it. Lennon’s song criticized Dylan’s preaching and instead asserted: “You gotta serve yourself/Ain’t nobody gonna do it for you.”
In 1980, Dylan’s song was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Male. While the religious nature of the record alienated many of Dylan’s older fans, the album also gained Bob a new wave of Christian fans.
Translating a World on the Edge 