Submitted
David Miller
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” (Galatians 5:13)
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” (Galatians 5:13)
Many people have the misconception
that being “called” by God is something only missionaries, pastors, nuns, and
other church leaders experience. But the Bible says everyone is called to serve
God by serving others. I like to put it
like this, “Jesus didn’t save us to sit, He saved us to serve.” We are not saved by serving, but we are saved
for serving. The Apostle Paul gives three insights related to this:
First, the basis for serving
others is salvation. Paul says, “You were called to be free.” You cannot
serve God until you’ve been set free by Jesus. It’s the prerequisite for
serving. Until you experience the
transforming power of God’s grace in your life, you’re too enslaved by your own
hurts, habits, and hang-ups to think much about others. Without the freedom of
forgiveness, you’ll end up serving for the wrong reasons: trying to earn the
approval of others, trying to run away from your pain, trying to remedy your
guilt, trying to impress God. Service motivated by these illegitimate reasons
is bound to leave you burned out and ¬bitter in the end.
Second, the barrier to serving
others is selfishness. Paul warns, “Do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature.” The number one reason we don’t have the time or energy to
serve others is that we’re preoccupied with our own agendas, dreams, and
pleasures. Only a small minority of people use their lives to serve others, but
Jesus said, “If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those
who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will
ever know what it means to really live.” (Mark 8:35, LB)
Third, the motive for serving is
love. Paul says, “Serve one another in love.” This is an
important key to building community: 1 Corinthians 13:3 records, “No matter what I say, what I
believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.” (MSG)
God is far more interested in why
you serve others than in how well you serve them. He’s always looking at your
heart, serving willingly and eagerly out of love for Jesus and gratitude for
all He’s done for you.
You are most like Jesus when
you’re serving others. After washing his disciples’ feet, Jesus said, “I have given you an example to
follow. Do as I have done to you.” (John 13:14–15 NLT)
Let me encourage you to quit
sitting and start serving. You will be
surprised at the difference it makes in your own life.
Scripture
to Claim:My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
John 15:8
