Something Teresa does weekly on our Grace Sisters facebook page is posts a “Word of the Week”. We are prompted to write what that word means to us in our walk with Jesus or in our lives in general. I absolutely love reading all of the amazing responses the ladies in our group have for the different words each week and it’s always interesting to me that so many of us can have different views and experiences with the same word.
A few weeks ago the word “serve” came around. As I thought about what I would comment on, I realized that that single word, or more so, that action of serving has been the overall catalyst in my walk with Jesus.
Mine and Jeff’s first Sunday at Grace was on Easter morning 2013. God was clearly working on us in the days before finally deciding to come to church that morning. At the time, we had no idea what He truly had in store for us. A few weeks after Easter, Grace had a serve meeting where the heads of each service area in the church would be available for any new members to find the best place to serve in the church. Thankfully, we decided to stay for the meeting. We had previously talked about possibly serving on the greeting team or the coffee ministry, we had both worked quite a bit in customer service so we thought that skill could come in handy.
Looking back now, honestly we would have been happy to do anything just to be of service to the God who was suddenly so real to us.
As we were staying for the meeting, Teresa pulled the both of us aside and asked if we’d be interested in being a part of the youth team. We hesitantly agreed and had made a plan to come to the Wednesday night meeting that week. I remember how Jeff and I felt walking to the car and making the drive home, feeling both honored to have been thought of and equally scared to death. We were so unqualified! We were young, and super early in our understanding and faith but what we were certain of was we both had this newfound desire to go where God led, albeit reluctantly.
Since that day we look back and see that the decision we made to serve was the one thing that made all the difference for us. “I honestly think that if we didn’t begin serving as those ‘Baby Christians’, we would have remained ourselves and not the people, and now, parents we are”. We are not perfect people and we make so many mistakes, it’s embarrassing to admit but the one thing I can say is God has done so much more than we could have ever thought, dreamed or imagined and He wants to do the same for you!
I know, it sounds like I’m being a little dramatic but service truly changed our lives! We have seen God provide us with a group of people that aren’t just friends but are family. He has provided the both of us with a career in ministry that is the most rewarding and fulfilling job that anyone could ever ask for. He has put young people in our lives that challenge and push us to be better people and better Christians. We have gotten the privilege of seeing His provision and love for others and seeing Him move in the lives of those we encounter continually.
I mean think about it, God Himself put on flesh and bone and stepped into a broken, selfish and sin filled world. He made Himself below those He created and still His last act with His followers in His earthly body was to serve them! He even goes further, commanding them to do the same!
In John 13:1-17
“Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end.[a] 2 It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas,[b] son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.
6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”
8 “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!”
Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”
9 Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”
10 Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet,[c] to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16 I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. 17 Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.”
I think if I only had 12-24 hours left to live I would make sure the most important things were said to the most important people and that’s the message that Jesus gives. BE a servant! Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty, go the extra mile. When God incarnate said these things, He didn’t mean to just attend church on Sunday, sit in a chair and listen to a sermon, stand and sing a worship song. No, He meant it literally, SERVE PEOPLE!
Pour a cup of coffee, take care of some babies so that a mom and dad can relax and be filled by the Word, open the door and be a smiling face for those who come on Sunday, look for people to pray for, pray for your church leaders, be attentive to the needs of the people God has surrounded you with, click some buttons on a keyboard, teach a small group of people how to do life with Jesus! There are so many ways to serve and so many opportunities available right now! I promise God has a place for you, He wants to show you what He can do with a life that is willing to serve His people!
I am a testament to that and I can promise you that there is nothing more rewarding than knowing you are serving the Kingdom of God on this side of heaven!
Let’s pray:
Lord, help us to be a servant. Help us see the needs of those around us so that we can show You to our community and our church family. Thank you for your example and that You our King of Kings came to serve from the dirt and not for a throne! We love you in Jesus Name!
Amen!
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