God Is A Servant & So Are You

I don’t know about you but our family’s days are filled with errands, household chores and interacting/entertaining our four year old daughter. Our evenings aren’t much different with homework, dinner together (some nights as quickly as we can) and soccer practices only to be followed up by showers and bedtime stories. It’s easy to look at our days and say that there isn’t time to fit serving in as well. We serve our children and spouses every day and it can feel as though there is nothing left for anyone else, but what if we looked at serving as a privilege rather than a burden?

God wants us to serve others because it’s a representation and reflection of love, mainly His love for us. He is love. He is also a servant. God sent his son, Jesus to the world to show off who God is. Jesus is also a servant. If we are made in His image and He is love then we are children of love. We are also servants. When Jesus was called back to Heaven by the Father, he left with us the Spirit so that we can show off God, through the way we live and the way we love and serve each other.  We do not become servants by living out a servant’s duties. We serve because it’s who we are. We serve because it is our privilege. We get to serve our fellow man and bring glory to the Father. Serving puts a huge spotlight on who God is.

So then if being a servant is part of our identity in Christ then why do we have such a difficult time serving? As a society we all seem to come together in true crisis. A hurricane hits and troops are rallied. Lives are destroyed by one kind of disaster or another and funds are raised and volunteers are plenty. So why is serving so hard when the opportunities are not so in your face?

Imagine what this world could be like if each one of us went out into the world loving people and serving them as God does. Imagine how clearly so many people would be able to see God’s love for them when we act as His hands and feet. What if we did so not because it is a job we are called to do but because it is our privilege? What if?

I’m not sure at what point the notion of service being a chore came into play but that is definitely how I saw it for many years. We are called to serve, as in called to perform a duty to others. But that’s not the truth. When we look at a deed and feel like it is infringing on what we’d rather be doing (most likely serving ourselves) then it takes on the shape of labor.

Let’s get one thing straight. There is no work to be done. All of the work was done and finished by Jesus Christ. He did it all for us; because of Him we get to live freely. Meaning we get to love as he loves. We get to accept that we are human, we are flawed, our hearts have a sinful nature and still…we are loved. There is nothing left for us to earn. We have it all; all of God’s love, His forgiveness, His acceptance, His unfailing grace. Since Jesus has put us on a permanent vacation from earning our way, we get to rejoice in it. We get to love. We get to accept. We get to forgive. We get to SERVE just as he served us with his life, without expectation knowing that there wasn’t a chance of us ever repaying him.

We have opportunity in every moment of every day to serve others and to do it in a way that glorifies God.

What does it mean to serve others? Do certain criteria need be met before something is deemed serve worthy? I asked the question earlier ‘why is serving so hard.’ Perhaps some believe that serving is only done at church while others believe it is to quite literally to help a neighbor. Whatever your idea of serving is, we all get to have our heart set to the same gear, which is to glorify God in doing it. There are no specifics on how to serve other than to do it with love while glorifying God.  Serving does not only consist of grand scale gestures.

Serve using whatever crafts God has gifted you. If you’re an awesome motivator, then motivate people. If you’re a great host, then host family, friends & strangers for dinner. If you’re great at seeing a need and filling it, fill away! If you’re a great friend, find someone who needs one.  If you’re a bomb cook, bring me a meal. You see what I did there? Whatever it is, wherever your heart pulls you, follow it by serving/loving God’s people. Look for the little opportunities to serve. Open a door for someone, show kindness to a stranger. Help short people like me by getting something off of the top shelf at the grocery store. No act of service is too small.

Serve because it is your privilege, your opportunity to share your gift and because you realize that you get to be the hands and feet of the Almighty. Serve because it’s who you are, who He is.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Photo Credit: Nina Strehl