Jesus speaks often of serving others but never talks about helping them. Have you ever wondered why he chose to use the word "serve" and not "help"? I never thought much of it until several years ago when I was on a mission trip in the U.S. Our sponsor made sure that we knew the difference.
He Served So We Serve
Jesus himself "came to serve and not to be served" according to Matthew 20: 28. When we help someone, we provide them assistance or support. We usually help someone who we think is worse off than we are. We come from a position of power and reach out to someone who is less powerful.
But when we serve someone, that is different. Serving others, views the person who is served as equals. We serve because He served. We serve because we serve Christ. Service is out of love, not expecting to gain favor with someone or accolades. Service expects nothing in return.
Do We Want to Be Appreciated?
Many times in the Bible when Jesus did miraculous things for people, they did not even thank him. He didn't stop doing miracles because he wasn't thanked. He didn't stop performing miracles because he didn't feel appreciated. He continued serving others and He expects us too as well.
It is difficult to serve others and not receive thanks. Did you pick up that random sock today on the floor for the hundredth time? I bet no one said thanks. Did you give money to the random homeless person? Maybe they said thanks, but maybe they didn't. Will you still pick up that sock or give money to the homeless?
Our responsibility is to serve others, not to feel important or somehow better than someone else because we helped them, but to show them love. The kind of love Jesus showed us and still shows us - an undeserved love.
"For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5: 13-14
Charity Isn't Pity
As Mother Teresa said once, "Charity isn't about pity, it is about love." Do we serve others with everything we have? Jack London once said, “A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.” It is easy to help others when we are in a position of strength, but when we serve, we should do it no matter our position. Why? Again, because our motivation is love.
Service That is Love
There is a story of a hungry Christian family in India that was once given food. Immediately the mother divided the food and took half to the Muslim family next door that was also starving. That was service. That was love.
Jesus Strengthens Us
Do we serve out of our own strength? No. Only in so much as we are connected to Jesus and long to serve Him can we truly serve others with love. As I Peter 4: 10-11 (ESV) tells us
"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 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 him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."
As Peter explains above, it is not that we serve in our own strength, it is God that gives us our strength. Service can be hard at times, unrewarding and thankless, but we do it, according to Peter, so that "in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ".
Love In Action
When we serve others, don't forget that ultimately we are serving Christ. Jesus reminds us of this in Matthew 25: 35-40. In these verses we see what service really is - love in action.
" for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’"
Enjoy the beautiful song, A Living Prayer, by Alison Krauss here.
Comments