Made to Serve

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. Matthew 20:8

Jesus came to serve and paid the price to set us free. Lately I have been thinking about the freedom and what am I doing with it. I know if we are to be Christlike then following in His footsteps and serving others should be one of our priorities. Have you ever really sat down and thought about all the ways He served?

God gives each of us the abilities, talents, and skills to fulfill our calling. This will more than likely be told to us through someone else. I was so excited to learn about mine and I love to write. I was focused on this for many years and now I only write from time to time. What I have learned is this is only one way for me to reach others.

I don't believe we are called to serve certain people, but all people. At the same time I believe God will show us what our boundaries are. This is why it takes all of us to do our part. I am drawn to the poor and needy homeless people. These are people who are grungy looking and stinky, you know the outcast of society. I have seen that most people overlook the homeless and have heard others yell out get a job as they passed them by. I love feeding them; besides no one should ever have to go hungry. However, I know I not called to be a caretaker. I don't have the patience and easily get frustrated which indicates my limitations and boundaries. We learn quickly what our boundaries are when we try new areas to serve in. We also learn to improve our strengths so we can better those we are drawn to.

We recognize the people we are drawn to are the one's we should serve because God has laid it upon our heart. It will differ for each and everyone of us. Sometimes God will send us a person and we are at a loss of words. This is something I recently experienced and had to pray for God to give me the words to say. I was infuriated when I saw a friend getting high with one of her friends. I mean I wanted to call the police and have them arrested. The more I watched them the angrier I became. I was ashamed of the way I felt and knew I needed to show them mercy and grace just as I had been given. I knew I needed to say something but didn't have the right words. The next day God opened my eyes and changed my thoughts as well as my heart to tell her that God loves her right where she is.

We shouldn't use our time to serve others if we are going to complain about it later. Although, I don't like admitting it I have been guilty of this very thing on more than one occasion. The truth is my heart wasn't in the right place. When we do something for others and don't love we are like a clanging cymbal. I am almost certain God was looking down and shaking His head at me. If I was busy reading the Bible, studying, or writing others would have to wait. Thank you God for the change of heart! I had to get my priorities in order. We are never too busy to help others.

When it comes to serving others the most important gift we can give is love. Whatever you do for others put their need ahead of yours. Don't expect anything in return for your good deeds and don't boast about it either. It is selfish to want something in return and we are called to be givers and become selfless. Boasting about it is saying "look what I have done." Serving is all about "look what God has done." He simply used me; working through me. God should get all the glory.