Service

Do you know the joy of serving others? Is serving more of a duty or a delight? It may seem upside down to spend our days doing things that make our own lives a little more difficult in order to make the lives of others a little better.  

But what if we are actually living in an upside down world because of the distortion of sin, and God’s Kingdom is right-side up? 

In the kingdom of God, serving is a big deal–serving God and serving others. 

• If you want to love well, serve. (Galatians 5:13) 
• If you want to obey well, serve. Galatians 5:13, 1 Peter 4:10)
• If you want to steward your gifts well, serve (1 Peter 4:10)
• If you want to lead well, serve. (Matthew 20:25-26)
• If you want to follow well, serve. (Matthew 20:28, John 12:25-26)

Is the serving life counter-intuitive? Yes. Is it counter-cultural? Yes.

So how can serving be a delight? John 15:10-11 teaches that believers, as part of our union with Christ, abide in His love by keeping God’s commands. When we do this, it leads to being full of joy. Since one of His commands is to serve one another, serving leads to joy. Christ-followers will tell you that experience backs this up, even when it’s the last thing you feel like doing.

“True freedom liberates believers from their selfish will so that they find joy in serving others.”– Thomas Schreiner

If you want to be great, serve. Jesus had to explain this to the sons of Zebedee and their mom (Matthew 20:20-28). They seemed to equate greatness with status. Jesus said that greatness involves denying yourself to serve others.

If you want to serve well, listen to Jesus. Jesus had to explain this to Martha. (Luke 10:38-42), Martha seemed to serve before listening. Jesus taught her to listen first. Do you think Mary would’ve served if Jesus had told her to? 

Let’s pray that God would help us discern His “To Do List” for us instead of asking Him to bless our own “To Do List”. We may end up serving more, less, or differently. Regardless, more glory will be given to God and more joy will come to us.

May we who are united with Christ, by the Spirit’s power, serve well until we hear the Father say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant”.