By Bart Hinz
What comes to mind when you hear the word “service?” To some it means work and chores. It is a word some people would rather not have in their vocabulary. It leaves a dirty taste in their mouths. To others it is a way of life and something which they cannot get away from because it is as much a part of them as the color of their hair. Service is their lifestyle.
For us as Christians the thought of service should not be something we hate, but something that excites us and look forward to. It is something we should enjoy if, for no other reason, than we are doing something for the Lord. One of the reasons we are not excited by service is because we don’t really understand what it is. The truth is, we don’t get excited about service because we think that it is going to be very time consuming and difficult.
The truth about service is this; anything that we do on behalf of our Lord is service. I remember going on a mission trip in high school to Mexico. I had no idea what I was going to be doing or what was going to happen throughout the week. I knew that the agenda was work or Bible School but I never knew that I was going to serve God in so many ways. I chose to do the Bible School and I had so much fun. I learned that service to God is nothing more than be open and available. I played with the kids, painted on a house, did skits and just acted silly to make the kids laugh, all of which served God. Would you have thought that getting wrapped up in aluminum foil and standing on a chair in a remake of David and Goliath would be serving God? It was!
Matthew chapter 25 tells us a parable about the sheep and the goats. In this parable we see several things listed for both the sheep and the goats, drink to the thirsty, food to the hungry, visit the sick and the imprisoned. Whenever I read this particular parable I remember the simple truth that serving God is not about size or amount but the willingness of the heart to do something. It is not hard to give someone who is thirsty a drink so why don’t we do it. I believe we don’t, because we don’t think that it matters. But let me encourage you and tell you it does. Every single thing we do for the Lord makes a difference no matter how big or how small! All it takes to make a difference in someone, is being open and available for God to plug you in.
So what about you? Is serving God something that you look forward to? Or is it something you don’t? It is something we can all do, and are all called to do. Let me encourage you to make service a part of your everyday life so that you can impact others by the things that you do.
Questions to ponder:
- How do I truly feel about serving God?
- How willing am I to serve God?
- What can I do today to serve God?
- When was the last time that I served God?
- Do something this week to serve God and tell your leader about it.
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