Revelation 4:15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
It is a promise that we shall in eternity continually serve God in His Presence. Service is a blessing to us, and serving makes us ”feel good” for it fulfills the loving purpose of our being. Serving God is not a burdensome command but a joyful response to His total love and eternal salvation. It is so wonderful that we shall never tire of it, or get bored of it, for all eternity. Just being the ”temple,” the presence of God’ glory and love, creates in us the unquenchable desire to thank and praise, to serve and obey Him without end. And we will, joyfully, forever.
When the Almighty God, the Creator, dwells among us, we will be so overwhelmed with love that all we want to do is love Him in return. We love Him because He first loved us. This will finally happen when we are shed of the sinful flesh and the corrupt world. We can’t wait for that glorious day.
But we do wait for That Day, in confident faith and excited hope, while we are still living on earth. While we wait, we serve. We live in His indwelling presence and we respond with service. But Luther says, ”God doesn’t need our service, but other people do.” Thus we serve God by serving others. Service is the practical, mundane, day-to-day outworking of love. Again, this is a blessing and a promise: we don’t have to (to be saved and blessed), but we get to love and serve one another. Serving blesses us. The promise is: we will serve forever. And the Lord provides plenty of opportunity to practice serving now, while we wait.