Service

Submitted by David Miller

Galatians 5:13-14 “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Servitude is not a glamorous concept. Who in their right mind would sign up for a life of servitude? And yet that is what God has in mind for his people. God knows how service to others will bless us as well as the community around us. 

Service is a great way to put aside our self-centeredness and notice how we are connected, even indebted, to others. When we start seeing the genuine needs of others, it deters our own sense of entitlement.  When we final get pass our own “selves” then God is able to use us for His purpose; to truly use us to make a Kingdom impression. 

When we accept Christ as our Savior, it can become so easy for us to want to stay on the mountain top much like the disciples did in Matthew 17.

Matthew 17:1-7: “Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. ² And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. ³ And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. ⁴ Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁵ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My Beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” ⁶ When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. ⁷ And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.”

Jesus recognized the need for the disciples to lift their eyes and leave the mountain top.  He knew that if they did not come down off the mountain, they would not be able to fulfil His calling on their lives.  Nor can we stay on the mountain tops of our spiritual experiences.  At some point, we must come down and insert ourselves amongst the people so that we may serve them and fulfil the calling of Christ in our own lives.  Too many times, we tend to sit around and look for someone to feed us rather than feeding others or we offer the excuse that we will “pray about it”.  While I do not want to take away the impact of prayer and receiving God’s divine direction, often this phrase is used as a stall tactic or a way of saying “no” without saying “no”.  We must be about the Father’s business and it can only be done through humble servanthood.  We cannot allow the “fear of service” hinder our “call to serve”.  Christ tells us not be afraid.

Serving others not only reveals the bonds between us; it reflects the love of God. When we serve others, we experience God’s grace. It points people to Christ. Jesus modeled grace that goes way beyond our understanding. He emptied himself for us, though we deserved nothing. His example calls us to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21). In our “me-first” culture, God calls us to put others first. Are we looking out for others the way we look out for ourselves? Can we put their needs ahead of our own? How are you serving in your church or in the community?  Remember this, “Christ did not call us to sit, He called us to serve.”