Serving in love will make a difference in your life and those around you. Those serving in love are beacons of God’s love as they go about their daily lives. Their actions are refreshing, like drinking cold water on a sweltering day. You might not think that serving is fashionable, but serving never goes out of style. Being a servant is the Lord’s desire for every believer. Our Heavenly Father knows how our service to others will bless us and those around us.
When we begin to see the needs of others, it lessens our sense of filling ourselves with things we don’t need. When we serve others, we are the hands and feet of Jesus in the world. The world values going first, but being a servant calls for us to let others go before us. Our example for serving is always Jesus. Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. [1]
As Believers in Jesus, We are to Live Differently
Paul gives us fantastic insight into serving and how in doing so, we love our neighbor. Galatians 5:13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[2]A servant is a person who desires to benefit others and makes sacrifices to do so. People may not realize the value of serving, but God does.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 23:11The greatest among you must be a servant.[3] Serving others may not seem fulfilling on the outside until we have experienced the joy of serving others and find great joy in helping others. As believers, Jesus calls us to live differently and be the light in a dark world.
Loving Others Changes Me on the Inside
In life, the Lord gives us free will and freedom, but as we grow in faith, we become aware we are not to use this freedom to satisfy our sinfulness. When we serve others, it breaks the bonds of selfishness. Serving others in love is like putting a wonderful frosting on a cake. As we look to Jesus, He is our model for serving. He did not serve begrudgingly but always showed true humility.
Jesus’ most significant act of serving was when He died on the cross for our sins. When Jesus spoke from the cross, it was not to condemn people for their actions but to pray to His Father to forgive them. Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. [4] Love is a fruit of the Spirit which will empower you to serve others. This will change you and others around you as you pour out the love of Jesus.
To learn more about serving in love, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/live-by-the-spirit
[1-4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.