The Determination to Serve

The first step of serving is the thought of serving and putting feet to that thought, purposing in one's heart to serve. "The Son of Man did not come to be serve, but to serve....." Matthew 20:28. Oswald Chambers put it this way "Once we realize that Jesus Christ has served us even to the depths of our meagerness, our selfishness, and our sin, nothing we encounter from others will be able to exhaust our determination to serve others for HIS sake."

So what does it mean to "serve". According to my friend Webster....to serve is "to work for, to prepare and offer, to provide goods and services for, to assist, to be of assitance to or promote the interests of, to spend or complete, to fight or undergo military service for, to give homage and obedience to, to act toward another in a specified way, to meet the needs or requirements of, to deliver or present." When we "wait" upon the Lord we really are serving Him, such as a waiter would serve in a restaurant.

What/how do you serve the King of kings and Lord of lords? What do you serve Him.....simply put you serve yourself.....you give Him anything/everything He asks of you. You give Him first and foremost your heart. God's word says "worship the Lord with all your heart, mind & soul." To worship Him in the manner He is most deserving we human beings lack on our own what is required. But HE is ever faithful...whatever He requires He readily provides. We all were created to worship....it is within us, if we would only remove ourselves and let our hearts sing the songs of worship they were created & indued with.

When we truly love God....I mean truly....serving Him is as easy as breathing. You won't think about how, when, or where....you will truly be a human "being" and will serve without realizing. Second thing needed to serve...availability. A very dear Pastor & friend told me to just "be". What does that mean? Well it means to just relax in the Lord....don't strive or struggle....just be the best Bert I can be for the moment and to just relax in God's love. When I relax I find I can be more readily HIS hands & feet to those around me without much effort or thought. When I try it in my "own" power it is exhausting. Relax and make yourself readily available and the Lord will do the rest. HE will bring those that need help along your path, you won't have to go or look far! Even in my meagerness, what seems my lack, I can still serve Him by serving others. Sometimes it is a sacrifice financially, but God always makes up the difference in abundance. Sometimes to serve others is just simply being God's arms of comfort with a hug.....sometimes it is just caring and praying for the person.....sometimes it is a sack of groceries given when no one notices.....sometimes it is just a card or note of encouragement when someone is down.....sometimes it is a smile towards a stranger in the grocery store, you never know just that smile might brighten someone's dreary day.

Seek God's wonderful face and HE will show you how to become His hands & feet....the very hands & feet of the most wonderful Servant of all. God Bless!