Serving Othersనమూనా

It's a choice

In the year 1836, a man and his wife were preparing their rented home in Bristol to accommodate thirty orphan girls. The man was George Muller, and during his lifetime he cared for over 10,000 orphans: feeding, clothing, housing and educating them. Muller is quoted as saying: ‘Only the present moment is ours to serve the Lord, and tomorrow may never come... Life is worth as much as it is spent for the Lord’s service.’

I’m reminded of Joshua 24:15 (ESV): ‘As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ Serving is a choice that comes from a deep love of the Lord. It requires conscious effort and a healthy dose of humility. Our minds must first and foremost be on the Lord, and then the work of our hands will surely bless others. And yet, God does not need our service. This is made clear by Paul in Acts 17:25 (NLT): ‘… human hands can’t serve his needs – for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need.’

Jesus tells us that He came to serve, not to be served. As John Piper points out, ‘He saves us, we don’t save Him. He meets our needs, we don’t meet His need’. Serving the Lord is for His glory, not ours. Peter tells us that whatever we do in the service of the Lord, ‘Do it with all the strength and energy God supplies’ (1 Peter 4:11 NLT) so that glory is brought to God through Jesus Christ.

Written by CHRIS PARFOOT