The Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Lagos West, Rt Rev James Odedeji, has described those who serve in God’s vineyard as privileged people.
Bishop Odedeji said this at the investiture of the new President of the Guild of Stewards of the Diocese, Adewale Bolaji, in Lagos on Sunday, July 7, 2024.
Speaking at the event held at the Archbishop Vining Memorial Cathedral Church in the Ikeja area of Lagos, Odedeji said everything about the Guild of Stewards is service.
Making reference to the Bible, the cleric said: “When it comes to service to God, one thing is very fundamental; that thing is faithfulness.
“Service in God’s house is nobody’s right. We are the ones that cannot do without God. He can do without us. The call to Christian service is a privilege.
“To be faithful is to be devoted, to be honest, sincere, and not dubious. It is to be trustworthy. To be reliable, it means to be consistent and accountable. To be faithful is to be available and dutiful. It is to be correctable. If God cannot correct you, you can’t be in his service.”
He further explained how service should be rendered in God’s vineyard, urging the guild to serve excitedly and joyfully.
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“When God calls you to service, it is not to serve in sadness. We must be excited whenever we find an opportunity to serve God and humanity. King David said I was glad when they say to me let us go to the house of the Lord.”
He also pleaded with those who serve in God’s vineyard to do it wholeheartedly without reservation.
“Serve heartily. We must be dedicated, committed, and attached to God’s work. We must see it as a matter of life and death,” Odedeji added.
While stressing that those in the guild must serve God willingly, Bishop Odedeji said: “Don’t expect everybody to like you. Serve sacrificially.”
Odedeji warned against pride and arrogance, adding that such attitudes are corrupters of service in God’s vineyard.
“You don’t know who people are until you give them power. So, I urge you to be humble because humble people are great,” he stated.
He also warned against grumbling and murmuring, stressing that they can’t attain excellence in service without being genuinely converted.
The Anglican Bishop, therefore, enjoined the members of the guild to support the president and work together in the interest of the church.
On his part, Bolaji promised to uphold the virtue of hard work and diligence during his tenure, saying: “As the Lord lives, we will succeed. The grace to succeed has been provided. And like our Father in the Lord said in the sermon, we will serve joyfully, wholeheartedly and sacrificially. We now recognise that God is our paymaster.”
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