罗十二1 所以弟兄们，我借着神的怜恤劝你们，将身体献上，当作圣别并讨神喜悦的活祭，这是你们合理的事奉。

　　林前七22 因为一个奴仆在主里蒙召，就是属于主得自由的人；照样，一个自由的人蒙召，就是基督的奴仆。

　　Rom. 12:1 I exhort you therefore, brothers, through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.

　　1 Cor. 7:22 For the slave who has been called in the Lord is the Lord's freedman; likewise the free man who has been called is Christ's slave.

　　一个蒙恩的人事奉主，不是由于人在外面的鼓动或强迫，也不是因着人在旁边的劝勉或带领，乃是出于里面的一个动机。这个动机，就是他对主的爱。他对主的爱，在他里面催迫他事奉主，推动他事奉主。他里面对主的爱，叫他不能不事奉主。…这是旧约所论那爱主人的奴仆，〔出二一2～6，〕所比方所预表的。那样的奴仆，虽然可以自由，不需要作奴仆，但因爱他的主人，就不愿意自由，而甘愿作奴仆，服事他所爱的主人。我们事奉主的动机，也是如此。我们也是因着爱主，而甘心乐意作主的奴仆，事奉主。

　　A saved person wishes to serve the Lord, not out of others' encouragement or compelling, neither out of others' exhortation or leading, but out of an inward motive. This motive is his love for the Lord. His love for the Lord constrains him and impels him to serve the Lord. His inward love for the Lord forces him to serve the Lord. This refers to the slave described in the Old Testament who, due to his love for his master, would not go out free at the end of his days of slavery; he would rather be a slave to serve his beloved master. Our motive of serving the Lord should be the same. We volunteer to be a slave of Lord and to serve the Lord, out of our love to the Lord.

　　我们所以爱主，是因为主爱我们。主的爱感动我们，激励我们爱祂。主对我们的爱，在我们里面产生出我们对祂的爱，叫我们不能不爱祂。所以是主的爱叫我们爱祂，也是主的爱叫我们事奉祂。就是因这缘故，使徒才用神的怜恤劝我们，将身体献上，当作活祭，以事奉神。〔罗十二1。〕…我们事奉祂，是为祂的爱所激励，是由于祂的爱在我们里面所激出的爱。

　　We love the Lord because He loved us first. His love moves us to love Him. Lord's love to us generates the love to Him in our inward being so that we can not help but love Him. Thus it is His love that makes us to love Him and to serve Him. For this reason, Apostles exhorted us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to serve God through the compassions of God. We serve the Lord because His love stirs us up and because His love generates the love in our inward being.

　　照圣经看，基督徒…应当以事奉主为正业。我们基督徒所有的职业或事业，都是副业。惟有事奉主，是我们的正业。在我们，所有的职业或事业都是第二，惟有事奉主乃是第一。我们在世上活着的目的，乃是事奉主。我们该以事奉主为我们生活的中心和目的。我们所以作职业或事业，不过是带手而作，借以维持我们的生活，并供给主工作的需要。同时借着我们所作的职业或事业，与人接触，以便将主的福音传给人。…我们无论是以何事为业，都该是带手而作的。我们的目的，该是为着事奉主传福音。…我们若要作正常的基督徒，就必须这样。只有这样，才是向主而活，才是事奉主（圣经要道卷三，六○九至六一○、六一二页）。

　　“自由的人蒙召，就是基督的奴仆。”（林前七22。）事奉主，就是作主基督的奴仆。奴仆在这样的经文里，指卖身失去自由的奴隶。这种身份说出我们事奉主的意义。我们服事主不是作什么伟大的工作，乃是作基督的奴仆服事主。

　　“他们事奉主，禁食…。”（徒十三2。）这里的事奉原文指作祭司事奉，和希伯来十章十一节，说到祭司所用的“供职”（事奉）同字。作祭司事奉神，乃是在神面前作一切关乎敬拜神的事。这需要常常亲近神，侍立在神面前。

　　“神照着自己的意思，把肢体俱各安置在〔基督的〕身体上了。”（林前十二18。）我们信徒都是神所安排在基督身体上的肢体，每一个都有他的功用。我们照着这功用，在基督的身体里尽职服事，也是我们对主的事奉。

　　“我在祂儿子的福音上，…所事奉的神。”（罗一9。）传福音也是事奉神。这是说，我们将罪人带来归神，如同祭司将祭物带来献给神一样。…这种事奉是有价值的，是成全神永远经纶的（生命课程卷二，一六三至一六四页）。

　　According to the Bible, Christians … should take serving the Lord as their primary job. We, Christians, should take our jobs or careers as secondary ones. Only serving the Lord is our primary job. To us, all the jobs and careers are number two. Only serving the Lord is number one. Our purpose of living in the world is to serve the Lord. Serving the Lord should be the center and purpose of our life. All our jobs and careers are taken incidentally to sustain our life and to supply for the need of the Lord's work. At the same time, they become the means for us to contact people and to preach the gospel to others…. Whatever our job is, it should be incidental to us. Our purpose should be for serving the Lord and preaching the gospel…. If we want to be a normal Christian, it should be this way. Only to live to the Lord in this way is to serve the Lord.

　　“He who was called when free is Christ's slave” (1 Cor. 7:22). To serve the Lord is to be a slave of the Lord Christ. In this verse, a slave refers to one who is sold and who has lost his freedom. Such a status reveals the significance of serving the Lord. Our serving the Lord is not to do any great work, but to be a slave of Christ to serve the Lord.

　　“And as they were ministering to the Lord and fasting…” (Acts 13:2). In the original language, ministering here refers to service as a priest; it is the same word as in Hebrews 10:11 for the “ministering” (serving) of a priest. To serve God as a priest is to handle before God all things related to the worship of God. This requires us to constantly draw near to God and stand before Him.

　　“But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body [of Christ], even as He willed” (1 Cor. 12:18). We believers are all members placed by God in the Body of Christ, and each member has its function. When we fulfill our office to minister in the Body of Christ according to our function, we are also serving the Lord.

　　“God…whom I serve in the gospel of His Son” (Rom. 1:9). To preach the gospel is also to serve God. This means that we bring sinners to God just as the priests brought sacrifices to offer to God. Thus, Romans 15:16 says that to preach the gospel in this way is to minister “as a priest the gospel of God.” This kind of service is valuable, and it fulfills God's eternal economy.