Real Hope: A Heart of ServiceSample

Connection, Acceptance, Service

Because we have an inner longing to connect with others, we need meaningful relationships. And that’s where the church is so helpful – a place where people find that connection with caring and friendly people. What about the matter of accepting others unconditionally? How good are we at that? Romans 14:1 (NIV) says, ‘Accept the one whose faith is weak without quarreling over disputable matters’. No-one is perfect, and we all make mistakes. Romans 15:7 (NIV) says, ‘Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God’.

Sometimes we lose sight of that. A bunch of eight-year-olds were asked the question, What does love mean? And Jessica said, ‘If you don’t mean it, don’t say, “I love you”; but if you do mean it, you’ve got to say it a lot of times because people forget.’ People do forget that the most important thing about life is not who’s in charge but how we love and accept each other.

People forget that the most important thing in life is not how much money we get or how many locks we have on our doors or how we can face a rainy day. But what really matters, what really makes us secure, is knowing that we are loved and that the people who love us are committed to us. That’s what belonging to a Christian church is really all about.

It means being ready to serve others because Jesus did the same. The New Testament tells me that serving is a good thing: we should serve others, not ourselves.

written by CHRIS WITTS