God blesses all of us so we can in turn be a blessing to others. Service, in general palys a major role in spiritual growth. In fact, one way spiritual growth is manifested is through selfless service to the Lord. The child of God has both the privilege and the responsibility to serve the Lord. Jesus is our example. Matthew 20:28 makes this abundantly clear:

“Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).

Jesus’ mission on earth was one of service. He, the Son of Man, “came to seek and to save the lost” (19:10). To accomplish this mission, the Word of God makes it clear that “though [Jesus] was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8). On the way to the cross, Jesus fed crowds, He healed sick and lames, He freed people from demonic infestations, He gave life to a dead man, and He spent much of His time sharing with crowds the Word of life. Jesus ministered to the crowds through selfless service. Jesus’ life on earth is the ultimate model of selfless service. It is the ultimate example of servant leadership. The cross was the pinnacle of His service to humankind.

The born-again child of God ought to emulate the servant character of Jesus. I could spend countless pages talking about the privilege and responsibility the child of God to serve in general, or to serve others, or to serve the Lord (all three mean the same thing, by the way), but the following verse makes this point far better than I could ever do:

When asked to speak about which was the greatest commandment, Jesus explained that the first is total devotion and submission to God and the scon is to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). That word LOVE is key. It is not a feeling, but it is the kind that is demonstrated only through selfless actions toward others.

A Final Thought

Let me close with these words from Philippians 2:3-4, which will wrap it all up nicely:

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” This is what brotherly love looks like. This is what serving others involves.

Written by Pastor Prudent