Serving, as HE would
“……..For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another ….” (Galatians 5:13, NKJV)
We are all living in a busy and competitive world where sadly, we do not even have time to connect with others - or so we think. People live in a location for years and will not recognize their next door neighbour; it is a “rat race” where one is always on the run seeking to acquire more and more and not take a moment to even take a breath or “smell the coffee” so to speak. This has unfortunately been accepted by some as a reality of our times as no one knows when or whether it will stop or change. For the believer, life ought not be so. Borrowing from God Himself - the author of life -, He worked for six days and rested on the seventh, looked at His work, admired it and acknowledged it was good. God’s purpose in creating human beings, was for connection, man was created in God’s image, according to His likeness (Genesis 1:26-27), God wanted one like Himself and that is who we are. We should therefore work hard, but also take time to rest and connect with others.
Fast forward from creation, the second Adam - Jesus Christ - came to earth and His life is the blueprint of who we are to be in the world. Jesus knew who He was and when He came to earth, He took the posture of a servant. We read that He did not come to be served, as we would expect of a King, but came to serve and to give His life as ransom for our sins (Mark 10:45). He was clear that His purpose was to serve others so that He could win them for the Kingdom; It is no wonder He identified with sinners and even stated that the healthy do not need a physician, meaning He had come for the sick body and soul (Mark 2:17). During the last supper He reminded the disciples that His Kingdom was of a different kind, where the greatest was the one who served (Luke 22:24-27). As believers, it is a privilege to live as our Lord lived but it is not always easy. We are living in a world where the few who are considered greatest are those who are served by the masses, which is in absolute contradiction to the words of our Lord Jesus. We see this worldly interpretation creeping into the places of worship and we need to be on guard as many seek to be served rather than to serve.
Our reference verse above reminds us that we have received liberty in Christ, but this liberty is not for the gratification of our flesh, but rather for service to one another through love. We serve our brethren and others in our various spaces. Service is simply understood as doing something for another person. As we interact with others, even along the street, we have opportunities for service. For example, if an elderly person drops something, you can help them pick it up. As simple as that seems it is an act of service. We will notice opportunities to serve others when our hearts are right. One would wonder what the significance of the heart is –it is the seat of our emotions and reasons for acting on anything. There are many people who do the right thing but for the wrong reasons - we could also carry out acts of service but for the wrong motives. God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7), He will count us obedient to His word if we serve for the right reasons. We are admonished that if our service is hypocritical and for the praise of men, then the accolades of man are our only reward (Matthew 6:1-4). God blesses us however, when we serve in humility and in the best way we know how. Dr. Flavien Williams of CLU says, ‘whatever you do, do it with a spirit of excellence’. Genuine service to another comes from honouring them and teaches us faithfulness, even as we do what our Lord Jesus did and would do. Let us seek out opportunities to serve in whichever way the Master would have us do.
Thoughts:
What and where are you serving?
How is your heart postured as you serve?
Who is the master in your service?
Are there areas you have neglected, yet you could serve in?