JANUARY 24 - BE LIKE JESUS - SERVE OTHER PEOPLE
Jesus - “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 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 20:25-28)
Devotional Thought: The Bible teaches us that we’re to be focused in our lives on becoming like Jesus, and according to Jesus, to become like Him we have to be willing to “serve God by serving others.” The Bible teaches us that: we were Created for the purpose of serving God and others. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:10, “(God) has created us for a life of good deeds, which He has already prepared for us to do.” Before we were even born God planned in advance what He wanted us to do with our life. He shaped us and created us to do good works. We weren’t put on this planet just to take up air, to breathe, to take up space. But God put us here to make a difference. Romans 7;4 says, “Now you are united with the One who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.” (Romans 7:4)
The Bible teaches us that God redeemed us so that we could do His holy work. Understand this, we’re not saved by our service, but for our service. Have you ever thought about this – it cost Jesus His own life to purchase our salvation. 1 Corinthians 6:20 tells us, “God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God.” You see, we don’t primarily serve God out of guilt, fear or even duty. We serve Him because of our gratitude to Him, our gratitude for loving us so much, for sending Jesus to die for us, for blessing us so much in our lives. We owe him our lives, because if it weren’t for God’s love for us and Jesus’ sacrifice for us we wouldn’t have abundant life on earth and eternal life in Heaven. When Peter’s mother-in-law was healed by Jesus in Matthew 8:15, the Bible says, “She stood up and began to serve Jesus.” Out of gratitude for her healing, she began to serve the Lord. It should be the same way with us. We ought to look back at what the Lord has done in our lives and say, “Lord, here I am. I’m willing to serve you, live for you and glorify You.”
And then, we are also commanded to serve God and others. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Each one should use whatever gift he’s received to serve others.” So, what are you doing in your life to serve the Lord and help others? And where in our Church’s ministry are you involved in serving the Lord and helping others? The call to follow Jesus is the call to be a part of His spiritual family. And in the Lord’s spiritual family all of us are called to use our time, talents and resources to serve Him and help others.
Prayer Focus: Lord, show me where I can best make a difference in Your kingdom as I seek to serve You and help others. And help me to rise to the challenge of fulfilling my “service role and responsibilities” in the family of God. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Follow-Up Activity: Reflect on when you’ve been involved in serving God and helping others, and rehearse how doing so brought joy and purpose to your life.
