This is taken from a devotion on Utmost.org.
Beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to Jesus Christ. The greatest competitor of true devotion to Jesus is the service we do for Him. It is easier to serve than to pour out our lives completely for Him. The goal of the call of God is His satisfaction, not simply that we should do something for Him. We are not sent to do battle for God, but to be used by God in His battles. Are we more devoted to service than we are to Jesus Christ Himself.
It is interesting how sometimes when we serve, we serve with our own agenda instead of focusing on the Lord. For those who has a desire to follow the Lord, especially those in ministry, it is a strong reminder that we should lay down our agendas and follow His agendas.
In the devotion, Oswald used the illustration of the lady at the well (John 4). Jesus asked her to get a drink for Him. She didn’t asked Him to get a drink for her.
Again, the idea to serve instead of being serve is the idea of lay down our lives for Him. True surrender entails even the thought of what I can do for the Lord. Rather, it is obedient to His call and to sere Him.
He is the King. He is the Lord. And we are not.