Christian liberty changes everything. The freedom we have in Christ does not permit us to do whatever we want. We are not freed to engage in selfish sin. As the chains of bondage were broken when Christ took on the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7), we put on the garment of love and serve one another. In so serving others, we serve God.
Here are 5 reasons serving other is worth the time:
1. Serving others takes the focus off you.
To be frank, life is not about you, anyone or me. Our purpose on Earth is to glorify God and let His Kingdom be made known. How do we show the overwhelming love of God? We don’t keep it to ourselves. We let God’s love overflow through our hands and feet. The transforming love of God leads us to think more highly of others than we think of ourselves, such as in 1 John 3:16-18:
By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in Him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
In serving others, we extend God’s love to others. The sacrificial love of God leads us to sacrifice ourselves in order that others might encounter what we have.
2. Serving allows you to develop humility
When considering serving others, many of us start comparing ourselves to others and wondering what others will think of us. We deny our best service when caught in traps of comparison. We may feel our service is not the same caliber as someone else’s. There’s a great quote by Rifqa Bary that says, “Instead of comparison and self-pity, discontentment can be an invitation to serve others and open our eyes to the gifts God has given us.” If we look around to see how our level of service compares to others, we are serving out of the flesh. Galatians 5:13 says,
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Service with a prideful attitude won’t be beneficial to the person being served, as it won’t look to see what they really need. To determine if we have a humble attitude in serving, we can ask:
· Am I doing this to get recognition or applause?
· Am I looking for the needs of others before the needs of myself?
· Am I relying on God for the places I lack?
· Am I comparing my best to others’ best?
As we use the gifts God has given us without regard to what others think, God gets the glory. We develop humility as we lay down our best offering to God with an others-focused heart.
3. Serving others if a form of worship
In all we do, we are to “do all to the glory of God.” In our workplaces, homes, and daily spaces, we can worship God. A church building is not necessary to worship God. Hebrews 12:1 says,
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
This means that everything we do can be a form of worship if we are doing it unto God. Our worship is most satisfying to God when we “serve with your [our] whole hearts, as if serving the Lord, not people” (Ephesians 6:7 ESV). Our love for God is the root of our lives of service. Even when no one else notices, God notices our service.
4. Service is what we were made for
We were made in the image of God. As image bearers, we should immolate His image. In sending His Son, Jesus, we were given a model of a life of servitude. He didn’t consider it an inconvenience when He was called on. He considered it a chance to serve His Father. He gave of Himself sacrificially. Matthew 20:28 says, “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” The Son of God could have come in pomp, demanding praise and honor; yet, He came in humility to serve humanity. He didn’t seek the limelight. Mark 9:35 says, “And He sat down and called the twelve. And He said to them, ‘If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” In serving, we get the opportunity to become more like our Creator. We become more like the Child of God we were born to be.
5. Service is a space for God to work on you
Service is not easy. Serving people is messy. Many times in serving others, we have to go beyond our own abilities. Serving others will often expose areas of weakness in our hearts. 1 Peter 4:11 then says,
whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies-in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.
To serve others fully, we must be fully submitted to God. Service is the place to develop our gifts. 1 Peter 4:10 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” We best use our gifts when in the context of serving others.
As we remember the great act of love Christ showed, our hearts develop a love for serving others. The response to freedom in Christ shows itself in service. This quote by Dieter F. Uchtdorf sums up the transforming ability of serving others: “As we extend our hands and hearts toward others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to us. Our own spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger. We become happier, more peaceful, and more receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit.” May the love Jesus Christ displayed in taking the form of a servant transform our attitude about service.
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