This past weekend Pastor Ben preached a great message and one of the verses that he used was John 15:13 which is “no greater love than this, that a man lays down his life for his friends.” Through this, Ben preached about how we should have a servants heart and that we are called to serve other people. It doesn’t matter if we are the CEO of a fortune 500 company or a janitor at a rescue mission, we are all called to serve other people. Here are some of my takeaways from the sermon.
The first one is that acts of service will often cost us something and sometimes it is a great cost. When we serve, it will cost us either our time, money, and or talents. This might mean we can’t go to a movie because someone needs a listening ear, or it might cost us a phone upgrade because someone needs the money more than we do and our phone still works fine. It is saying no to our selfish desires is tough no matter how much we think we need them.
The second idea is that we need to start seeing people as someone who God loves dearly and are created in His image. In essence we have to stop with the us versus them, or not liking them because of their stance on immigration or who they voted for. We serve because we are being the hands and feet of Jesus and we are proclaiming not our own goodness but what God does through us.
The third idea is that Godly service will often make us uncomfortable. It’s because we are rubbing shoulders with people who do not look, think or act like us. Are we not wanting to serve because it makes us uncomfortable and we don’t want to grow. Maturing spiritually, emotionally and relationally only happens when we are forced to operate out of our comfort zone. It is forcing us to rely on God and not what we can do. Remember service isn’t always about the warm fuzzies, but it is doing what is needed and what God has called us to do. As kids we wanted a steady diet of candy and sweets, but good parents make sure that those things are done in moderation and that we eat a salad more than candy.
Here are some questions to Ponder
What and where you are those uncomfortable places we need to go and spend time in?
Who are those people or doing things that God is calling us to spend time with or doing but we are not wanting too?
Do we serve for the warm fuzzies or to point people to God?
Grace and Peace
Tom Boustead
