What does it mean to serve? I mean truly serve?
When I think of serving, I automatically think of my momma. She never tells anyone no and she usually has a smile on her face while doing it. She will drive hours to help babysit both my brother and sisters kiddos, helps all my grandparents get groceries and their meds, volunteers at church and helps me with whatever I need….Usually painting trim or cleaning out my car. Haha! But for real she does the best at detailing the inside of a car. This is a round-a-bout way of saying that THE WOMAN NEVER STOPS. She has the heart of a servant and it oozes out of her.
I think when most people think of serving they think of shackles and chains, but it is not. It is about being selfless. About putting other people’s needs above your own. As always, Jesus is the perfect example of doing this in Mark 10:42-45 it says,
“Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
We were all called to live a selfless life, but how often are our thoughts full of selfishness? I am guilty of this from time to time, and most people are, but drives me crazy is when people wallow in it. They think that it is their right to have everything they want. That they are being deprived of something that wasn’t even meant for them. When we are rooted in Jesus, that means we should be rooted in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” And if we are rooted in this verse our hearts should be as selfless as Jesus.
Being as selfless as Jesus means seeing everyone. Not just rich, not just the ones that look like you, not just the ones with similar interests…No, it means seeing everyone as a brother and sister of the Heavenly Kingdom. If someone asks you to do something for them, what do you do? Do you grumble and roll your eyes? Or do you hop in full force and do whatever you can to help? We should always choose the second option.
Which leads me to my next point…You can be a servant but Godless, but you can’t be full of God and servant-less.
What does that mean exactly? Well…when you serve are you doing it for yourself? So you can go and tell everybody, “Hey! Look what I did!”. Are you doing it to “buy” your way into Heaven? Or are you doing it because it is a part of your Christian duty? There is a BIG difference between these options.
You cannot buy your way into Heaven. You don’t earn your way into Heaven on good deeds alone. The key to serving is doing it with a selfless heart. Jesus can to the Earth and showed the most selfless deed by dying for each and every one of us.
So, I challenge each and every one of you who read this to do a heart check. Are you doing things to make yourself look good? Or are you doing things because it makes Jesus look good?
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
Much Love,
Kylie
