Day 22

Day 22:  Serving Others

       During this journey I have been very insightful about the things that I feel I can do to allow God to do Immeasurably More through me.  Moving from the work He has done in me to going out and revealing that through me.  Early in my life I knew without question that God had created me to do good works.

“Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you.
    Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work.” Jeremiah 1:5

       I often fell into the ‘work’ part and not the ‘special work’ idea.  The work God calls us to do is not the busy kind that bogs us down with stress and anxiety trying to represent Him but the kind of work that is laced in love and is to glorify Him, to serve others as if serving Him personally.

      

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” Matthew 25:35-40 

       If we begin to see serving others as if we are serving Christ himself it makes it a service of love.  Many times in my past I have not served with this kind of love.  I have served because I thought it made me look like a good person, a hard worker, a good Christian.  It was all about me not God.  Once I began to make it a priority to seek God and allow Him to do Immeasurably More in me I saw the amazing things He could do through me when I allowed Him.  I stopped thinking about me and started to think about the least of these.

       Another pitfall was my thought that I would choose who I thought was most needy or most worthy.  I would turn down opportunities to serve because I felt certain people did not deserve the service they were getting.  Again the conviction of Matthew 25:35-40 changed my desire to serve all.  The blessings that I was receiving in seeking God’s guidance in my life, the Immeasurably More He was doing in me was freely given by God, shouldn’t I do the same to others by giving without questioning their value?  When I go about serving others I choose to allow God to guide me to the right places, organizations, street corners, homeless shelters, opening a door for someone, holding a door for a mom with a stroller, smiling at the checkout clerk, and on and on.

       Knowing that God has set me apart to do special works gives me the confidence that serving others in His name will bring abundant blessings.  And in every instance of serving others the blessings are not just for them.  I walk away blessed beyond measure.

       How are you serving others?  Do you believe that God has set you apart to do special works?  What can you begin to do today to serve others?  What can you do to allow the Lord to do Immeasurably More through you in serving others?