
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. —John 13:34-35
You were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only don’t let this freedom be an opportunity to indulge your selfish impulses, but serve each other through love. —Galatians 5:13
In Genesis 12, God calls Abram from his homeland to go to a new land, and God promises to bless Abram. Yet, the promise of blessing doesn’t end with Abram. God says that he will bless Abram to be a blessing, and “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3). God did amazing things in Abram’s life, but he didn’t do it just for Abram. God did it so that Abram could be a blessing to others. This is the way God works. He calls people, he saves people, and he redeems people not just for themselves. God rescues people so that they can pass on God’s love to others.
This reality becomes even more clear in the ministry and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Jesus constantly calls people to receive God’s love and grace, and he then challenges them to serve others. This is demonstrated when Jesus washes his disciples’ feet, and then he tells them to do likewise (John 13:34-35). We are set free from sin and punishment in order to be the hands of feet of Jesus to a world in desperate need of rescue. We are set free to serve.
Despite what the outside world might think, service is not just cliché or religious rhetoric for those who follow Jesus. Service is not about trying to be a good person. Service is intrinsic to the gospel. We serve others because in Jesus’ love & grace, we have been given more than we could ever give away.
Growth Challenge:
As you will spend the rest of this week thinking about service and putting it into action, today is a great opportunity to meditate and reflect on how Jesus serves us. Take a few minutes to meditate on Matthew 20:26-28 and then answer the questions below
Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. —Matthew 20:26-28
-What does it mean to you that Jesus, God’s son, came not to serve, but to serve?
-What does this communicate about God’s love for humanity?
-How do you typically think & feel about “service,” and do these verses challenge your usual response?
-How might God be calling you to interact differently with the spiritual discipline of service?