If it weren’t for people… work would be great.
If it weren’t for people… church would be effortless.
If it weren’t for people… humble service would be easy.
Sacrificial service is something many people admire but may not truly desire to practice. Our culture values self-service and self-interest. More and more, we see many of those cultural values seep into the church. Even while serving in church and ministry, we can find ourselves disappointed and hurt by people and question whether the cost is worth it.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. – Philippians 2:3-4
Paul explains to the Philippian church that the evidence of true Christianity is found in humble service to each other. God calls His people to serve and love one another with humility. One of the glories of God is that He left the majesty of heaven to have intimate relationship with us. Cloaked in humility, taking the form of a servant, our Lord Jesus entered our messy world to serve our needs and to share our suffering.
We are most like Jesus when we are serving each other. We demonstrate our thankfulness to Him by willingly and humbly entering into the messy lives of others to serve their needs and share in their suffering. We can become a helper, a listening ear, an encourager, a prayer partner, a confidante, or even a defender. We experience great joy when we bring the reality of Jesus’ grace and love to the very ones who need it most.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many. – Matthew 20:28
Because we live in this fallen world, betrayal, disrespect, and brokenness run rampant.
People may take your service for granted.
People may not appreciate your sacrifice of love and generosity.
It is very difficult to trust and serve flawed, imperfect people.
However, you can absolutely trust our holy and perfect God. Our service is done unto Him.
Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me. – Matthew 25:40
When I struggle with loving the unlovable, I remember that God didn’t seek out loveliness or worthiness within me before He offered His love that saved my life.
When I struggle with sacrificing my time, energy, or resources, I remember that the many blessings God has poured out in my life weren’t given for me to hoard, but entrusted to me to invest in the lives of others.
When I struggle with competing for a higher position or desiring recognition, I remember that the ground is level at the foot of the cross.
For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. – Matthew 23:12
To be great before God is to serve Him and others humbly in our daily lives. God sees even the smallest acts of kindness we perform. In His great love, He treats anything we do for others as though those things were done for Him personally. God promises He will reward us for our righteousness and our faithfulness. Following Jesus’ example in this world comes with great challenges and oftentimes, at great cost, but with even greater reward than we can ever imagine.
Where has God been calling you to serve?
What obstacles, fears, or doubts are keeping you from experiencing the joy of being used by God?
How can we pray for you as you make humble service part of your daily lifestyle?
Peace and grace to you,
Terria serves on the LGG encourager and social media teams. She lives in Virginia with her husband. She is a proud mother of two beautiful girls in college. Her passionate goal is to ignite and empower a generation of millennial women to grab hold of God’s truth and cling to it. She can be tracked down hard at work in busy hospitals listening to patients’ stories while sharing the lessons and love that God has poured out in her life. Despite the sometimes chaotic circumstances of Terria’s life, God always shows Himself strong and loving.
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Week 2 Challenge: Spend time asking God for His eyes and heart as you look for intentional ways to serve others this week. Follow through with a serving opportunity where you can use your time, energy, or resources to show God’s grace and love to those who need it most.
Week 2 Reading Plan:
Week 2 Memory Verse:
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“The ground is level at the foot of the cross.” Thank you for those words, to me, they summarize today’s verses and are such a great reminder. We were ALL created in His image and He loves us the same. Thank you for the encouragement.
God bless you Nora. Enjoy the study.
What a wonderful way to start a Monday. Such a powerful reminders of what a beautiful example Jesus has given us. Humility, serving, putting others first, Love love love! What a contradiction to the world we live in.
Yes Nicki. May Jesus help us live in the light of who He is. Amen.
Amen
Beautiful post! I will be thinking on this today > “To be great before God is to serve Him & others humbly in our daily lives.” May God open my eyes to see those He places before me today. Blessings!
Amen darling.
What has God been calling me to? I feel God has been asking us to open our home to our next foster placement. We’ve had 2 placements in the last couple of years and have ended up adopting each one! LOL. We closed our home for a while to settle in a bit and due to some stressful things in our lives. Now, I think God is ready for us to take the next step but fear holds me back. Please pray for us. Thanks!
May the rest and peace of God flood your heart and family, providing you with all you need to do the work He has placed in your hands. Amen. we love you.
Today’s lesson has shown me that as I’ve been preparing for a fund raiser at our church I haven’t been doing it with a humble heart and putting others before myself.Thank you for the reminder .
We praise God for that. Go and do all he wants you to do. We love you.
I loved this. Serving God is the greatest joy in life. I am grateful for the gift to reach out. And what it has done to draw me to the Lord is Awesome. I feel almost guilty. It’s supposed to be for others.?
Dear Shelly, now we have an opportunity to shine for Him. you can do this! God bless you darling.
Thank you Terria! I always enjoy your posts.
Loved your post, Terria! Jesus came to serve and did without complaint. I want to mirror but a piece of His image to those around me as I walk this journey with Him. Blessings to All.
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for this reminder of your sacrifice.
We demonstrate our thankfulness to Him by willingly and humbly entering into the messy lives of others to serve their needs and share in their suffering. (Here, I’m thinking about Matthew, myth son. How can I enter into his life and serve his needs? He needs a place to live, medical attention for his leg, mental treatment for his drug & alcohol abuse.)
I can become a helper, a listening ear, an encourager, a prayer partner, a confidante, or even a defender!!
Please keep me and Matthew in your prayers.
God bless!
This reading was the icing on the cake and I thank you for it. It was so inspiring and it reminded me of all the people who have blessed me and helped me namely my Sister Deb who never gives up on me and loves me unconditionally. Thank you to Jesus and Deb and everybody, however, this week I am asking the Lord to help me give back if by no other way by not accepting. Amen