For, brethren, you have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”
I want to focus our thoughts on this text on the words, “but by love serve one another.” We have been called to serve the Lord. But how do we serve the Lord? The paradox is that God does not need for us to serve Him, but we need to serve Him. There is nothing that we can do that will add or take away from God. He is totally secure within Himself. But God knows that we need to serve Him. Our service to God/Jesus will ultimately make a difference in our lives and in the lives of other people. God does not need us, but He has made us so that we need Him. After all, we were created in His image to have fellowship with Him and to worship and serve Him. What should this service entail? Paul wrote, “but by love serve one another.” Serving God is rooted in our love for all people, and It is especially rooted in our love for fellow Christians. Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.” We are in fellowship with each other, and this fellowship is crowned with the love that we have for each other. We should not primarily serve out of a sense of duty, but we should serve out of a sense of love. This is how Jesus served, and it made a difference in the lives of the people that He touched. It is our duty to serve, but it is also our pleasure to serve and it is our privilege to be used of God to serve others. This does not mean that we will always be subservient to others, but that we will serve them as Jesus did. Whatever service we render to our fellow Christians or to anyone else, should be done in love. We should not only serve out of a sense of love, but we should enjoy the service that God leads us to do for others. At this point, you might be asking, “but what is this service that I am to render?” It is whatever God leads you to do at a particular time. This service might be to just say a kind word to a lonely person. It might mean visiting a lonely elderly person in a nursing home. It might mean going on a mission trip to another state or another country. In other words, there is no limit to the forms that our service can take. Whenever we serve we need to keep the admonition of Psalm 100:2a in mind: “Serve the Lord with gladness…” We are not to serve the Lord grudgingly. We should be glad that God is willing to use us in His service. I have said and written this over and over again: We are not doing the Lord a favor by serving Him. He is doing us a favor by letting us serve Him. If we take the attitude that serving God is a privilege granted to us by Him, we will be more likely to serve Him gladly, whatever form that service may take. One thing that we need to remember is that, ultimately, serving God means to serve and minister to people. No matter what form your service might take, it will benefit other people. I joyfully remember this when I preach. All we need to do is to look at the ministry of Jesus in the four gospels. His teachings and His miracles benefitted people. Indeed, the sacrificial death of Jesus was for the benefit of people. This is why Jesus calls us to serve Him by ministering to others in His name. In John 13, Jesus did something that totally surprised His disciples. He washed their feet. The Creator and Savior of the world washed the dirty feet of His disciples. If Jesus, the Son of God, can stoop to wash people’s feet, we can stoop to do whatever we need to do serve Him – and do it lovingly and gladly. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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September 2021
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