Serving God or Saving Face?

When the chase for more begins to sound like service

Beloved Friend,

I was in the salon recently when a conversation broke out. You know how salon talk goes: laughter, light chat, and then suddenly something heavy slips in. Someone said, “All I want in this life is to eat good food, dress well, and serve God well.” Everyone nodded. Another added, “To even serve God well, you must first eat well.” Heads turned “clocking” it, and soon the whole place agreed that comfort must come before commitment.

I could not help but think: is this what we have become? A people who believe that God should wait until we have enough before we give Him our all?

It is not hard to understand why. The world feels heavy these days. There is so much lack and need that materialism has quietly become our coping mechanism. You go out for evangelism and people will not even listen until you give them food. You begin to feel like you must first have something substantial to represent the Kingdom well. After all, we tell ourselves, “I need to look like Heaven’s riches on earth so people can believe God is working in my life.” Yet, who sent us this brief?

God never called us to brand ambassadorship of the Kingdom through wealth. He called us to relationship, one built on trust, not performance. There is nothing wrong with desiring financial growth. It is a sign of stewardship and responsibility. When those goals are shaped by God, they bring blessing. Desire for the good things of life is not the same as greed.

Before anyone thinks I am advocating for a suffer-head theology or that I believe Christians must be poor, hear me. I do not hold that view. I desire the finest things of life, but only as the Lord wills them. There goes my not so subtle disclaimer (you’ll get it in the next paragraph). Wanting better isn’t vanity when it’s anchored in purpose. The problem comes when money becomes the proof of our faith or the reason people believe the Gospel through us. That shift makes the Gospel transactional.

This pressure to prove purity of intention has crept into service. People now feel the need to overexert themselves to show they are not exploiting others in the name of God. Before one gives a prophecy as impressed on their heart by God, they may begin with disclaimers: “I am not here to beg you for money, I am not doing this for recognition.” Many chase wealth solely to prove that they don’t intend to exploit the people they’ve been called to served. That is a painful distortion. It even dissuades some from stepping into service altogether. They begin to reason within themselves, “God, please establish me first so I don’t look like a problem to the people you’re sending me to,” or “Who will even listen to me like this? They’ll think I’m trying to start a money-making scheme.” Yet God’s calling was never about how we appear before men, but about obedience to His voice.

I remember talking to my colleague Wale. He said, “It is not about changing jobs just for the higher pay, but whether God is in the move.” He is right. Not every open door is from God. Some are distractions dressed as opportunities. Sometimes it is not the Spirit leading us, but our lack (Trust me, I can relate).

During a candid conversation with Pastor Tunde Ogundiya, he said something that stuck with me. Modern evangelism often emphasizes what God will do for you rather than the life He calls you to live for Him. That emphasis is not entirely wrong, but it shows how lack has reshaped our language. We must not reduce the Gospel to an exchange: come, and God will fix everything. The Gospel calls people to follow Jesus. It calls people to trust and to obey.

Think about Jesus and the examples Scripture gives us. His satisfaction came from obedience, not abundance. He had nowhere to lay his head, yet He lacked nothing. He taught us to be rich toward God and to hold our treasures in heaven. The widow of Zarephath offered her last meal in faith and God sustained her. The boy who gave five loaves and two fish did not wait to be rich before he gave. These stories do not celebrate poverty!!! They celebrate surrender.

This idea plays out in everyday relationships too. Some people think money will fix everything. A husband may ignore his wife while believing that a larger income will cover the distance. A wife may focus only on raising children well and use that as an excuse to emotionally neglect her husband, trusting that the work of raising the children is enough to hold the marriage. Friends can rely on wishes and small birthday texts and assume that will replace the work of real friendship (Before you enter my dm to drag me, I’ve done the work). Money can buy comfort, but it cannot buy intimacy. The gospel calls for presence and investment, not compensation.

Serving God from a place of plenty is beautiful. Serving God from a place of dependency on Him is worship. The latter says, “Lord, You are enough.” The former says, “Lord, You are mine when I have what I need. (I no wan seek kingdom first, make kingdom sef seek me)”. There is a difference.

Friend, before you chase the next opportunity because the it looks like a breakthrough or because someone online made it work, ask: Is God leading me here or am I running to fix my lack? If the answer is not clear, pause and pray. Ask for wisdom. The Spirit will definitely guide.

The Kingdom needs financiers, leaders, servants and saints of every kind. That is good. The Kingdom does not need people who serve only once their bank account looks respectable. That is the enemy’s lie. Faith and provision walk together, but faith is tested when provision is thin.

Let’s talk about this in the comments. How do you balance the desire for more with the call to serve, or have you ever found yourself waiting for “better days” before saying yes to what God asked of you?

With thoughts of kindness,

ABBA’s Shofar