A Zeal for Service

One day I met a man with a heart to serve – he had a true zeal for service. He looked like he could have played linebacker for a pro-football team. As we visited over lunch, I noticed that my friend didn’t eat much of his food. Instead, he talked on and on about how he loved to serve the people at his church. He constantly looked for opportunities throughout the week to serve the needs of fellow church members, and on Sunday he couldn’t wait to get to church so he could continue his ministry of service.

This man’s zeal for service may seem excessive or abnormal at first glance because of the “me” – oriented society we live in. But his extreme desire to serve is Christlike. It’s godly.

Serving is a simple and noble assignment that pours from the heart. It is perhaps the most obvious sign of Christ-like maturity. When you are serving others, your heartfelt, Spirit-filled service is a dazzling reflection of the heart of your Savior, the greatest servant who ever lived.

As humans, our natural – and selfish – tendency is to take care of our own needs first. We like to make sure we have plenty of time for what we want to do. Then if we have any time or energy left over, we just might be willing to use it to serve someone else.

But as men and women after God’s own heart, we need to make ourselves available as God’s servants … like these people in the Bible:

• God spoke of Abraham as His servant (Genesis 26:24).
• Joshua was called “the servant of the Lord” at his death (Joshua 24:29).
• David, too, was called “my servant” by God (2 Samuel 7:5).
• Godly men and women were chosen as deacons and deaconesses to serve and help meet the needs in the congregation (1 Timothy 3:8-11).
• The apostle Paul referred to himself as a servant of God (Romans 1:1).
• The Proverbs 31 woman “extended her hands to serve the needy” (verse 20).

Jesus himself was the Son of God, yet he was the ultimate servant. Perhaps my favorite verse about our Lord is Matthew 20:28: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” One thing that touches my heart about this truth is that it is written in the book of Matthew, and Matthew is the Gospel that also most exalts Jesus, as Messiah, the King! Yet, we read that serving was a strong quality in King Jesus’ life – a priority and a way of life for Him.

We see clearly that service to God and His people is not an insignificant task. It is a mark of a follower after God’s own heart.

RESPOND:

Lord, help us to overcome our own selfish desires and instead, model our life after You in service to others. Thank you for the examples in Scripture of godly men and women who served you well. Amen.

RENEWING RESOURCES:

REFLECT:

As a believer in Christ, each and every day offers an opportunity to serve the Lord and others with all your heart. But, especially in these trying times, take time to read again the story of His servanthood and sacrifice for you in Luke 22, 23, 24. Open your heart and behold the greatest man—and servant—who ever lived and modeled what it means to serve and sacrifice.

REMEMBER:

We serve a great and mighty God. We will overcome these challenging times by holding on to the promises of His word and by following his commandments to love our neighbor as ourselves and to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind.