Go with me back to when Jesus was here as a man. Get a picture of Him in your mind. Think of Him teaching in the temple. Or spending time with children. Or talking to the woman at the well. Can you see Him in your mind’s eye?
It seems that Jesus was always on the lookout for how He could care for people. He looked into the eyes of the woman caught in adultery . . . and ministered love to her. He listened to the words of the centurion, whose faith He admired, and cleared the way for a miracle healing. He soaked in the love and honor paid to Him by the woman with the alabaster box as she wet his feet with her tears and then she wiped them with her hair.
When I think of our Lord and the way He loves and serves, I am humbled. His compassion is always at the ready. His love is always present. And His service to our Father and to others is always a priority. Even just before He went to the cross, Jesus served those around Him.
Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. John 13:1-5 NLT
My heart swells with adoration and awe as I think of Jesus kneeling at the feet of each of the disciples and washing their feet and then drying them with the towel. He knew the sacrifice that was before Him, yet He chose to serve in such a lowly and humble act.
This is the heart of our Lord Jesus. This is the heart in whose image you are I are made. And this is an example to us about how we shape our lives and the priorities we establish.
The amazing benefit of serving others is that we receive joy. We receive blessing. We receive peace. And we can take on the discipline of serving others in the way Jesus demonstrated to us:
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
How will we follow this model and humbly serve others? That’s a choice each of us can make.
What I know for sure is that when we serve others with love, grace, and care we also serve the Lord. We don’t want to serve with any strings attached. Instead, we open our hearts and do the very best we can to fulfill the call of serving others that the Lord has put on our lives. Jesus said, “It’s more blessed to give than to receive.” Yet, we don’t give so we will receive. If that’s the case, the reward is already received from our flesh.
Rather, we want to give with a heart abandoned to service. That’s how the love of God can manifest in us and multiply the charity that flows through us to those who need care.
Jesus served every day. And we can do the same. It doesn’t mean that we spend our days volunteering at the soup kitchen or at the church. Instead, it means serving those we encounter by being friendly. By giving love. By being present to those around us and caring. And sometimes we are called to humble ourselves, and care for others just like Jesus did when He washed the dusty and grimy feet of the disciples right before He went to the cross.
Please share your thoughts below. I know that I and other readers find the sharing very moving as we hear from the hearts of women and men in the faith. Remember, we are a community of believers coming together in love.
Gemma Says,
Susan as usual ,this message not only touched me ,but it hit home ,even though sometimes, the work I do which involves service ,you reach out to people and still feel so unappreciated. I continue to serve and assist anyway ,But what made me happy today is your reminder that our Lord Jesus who did so much for us all, was crucified!. So who am I the glory is not for who I serve ,but for My God.
Thank you Susan.
I’ve been blessed through this article. I understand now that you have to Humble yourself to be lifted up by God. Many many thanks to God for this revelation and to Susan, thanks.
My gosh I needed this message. I am going up as a candidate for my country’s election. I wrote about willing to Serve. That’s what I am created for!
God is so good! I am thankful that He’s speaking to your heart about service! He is so good and we can reflect Him as we serve those He puts on our paths of influence!
Thank You for comfirming that its better to give than to recieve.
We have to remember that we are not only giving to recieve a Blessing.For God gives us Unconditional Love all the time .So we should be able to do the same.I personally have been spreadiing LOVE to the less fortunate example the homelessness for I have been in that situation before .I found myself just talkig to them on ocassion ,giving clothing & food to them .Ive aloso try to direct them to shelter.My Blessing pesonally is that I was able to bring at least hope ,love & Joy to them if its only for a moment
I thank you for thinking of me when you write ur message when I open up the blog today it really hit home for me cause I’m going threw something right now and knowing that I am a good man ur words make me feel so much better. Thank you may God continue to bless you.
Yes, Glenn, you are a good man. You are loved. You are highly valued. God cares for you because He made you just as He wants you to be. Our part is to walk in the reality of who He’s called each of us to be.
Be blessed.
Thank you yet again Susan and all the precious saints of The Most High for more true life of God’s awesomeness. Thanking God for Jesus our precious Savior teaching us how to be real servants not only to those whom we say we love but to those who are enemies as well blessings upon those who despitefully use and persecute even as Jesus has said. God is Love and because we have His DNA blood of life in our veins we put His love into action daily we want to continue being contagious if no more, than a genuine smile, a word (s) of wisdom, peace, joy, kindness and patience. Not always easy to do with what and who we sometimes encounter but Jesus made it possible for us to do and put it into practice. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things have become new. 2Cor. 5:17. Amen!!! Let us not be weary in well doing and being servants of God whenever we can doing all things unto God always pleasing him. All be blessed, have a wonderful, productive prosperous, bountiful abundantly wealthy and healthy day in Jesus’s almighty powerful wonderful glorious matchless and holy name.
I have always felt rhat our purposw here on earth is to serve others, I derive great joy out of being able to serve, whether visiting a seasoned member of my extended circle, volunteering as a scout leader, teaching , or in my occupation as a nurse. I ve never considered myself to be blessing those I serve, but that I am being blessed to be able to pour into others. I always feel the power and presence of the Holy Spirit and it constantly renews my faith.
Praise God! You surely are a blessing to those to whom you extend your love and service. And yes, we feel blessed by serving . . . all part of God’s cycle of love!
Our service, when done out of our gratitude and love for all that we have received from our gracious and merciful heavenly Father, is no longer an act of service. It is an extension of His love and light working thru us, reaching out to those whom He puts in our life path, with His message of hope and love. And when we are operating in His strength and power, there is joy, peace and boundless energy… we are fully equipped and able to run the race set before us. At least that is how I am coming to know, experience and understand my service to God.
Thanks Susan, again, for the good word and for your obedience in sharing!
Before we serve others we first must ask God to search our hearts and spirit and remove those things ( anger, unforgiveness, etc.)in us that are not of him. Create in me a clean heart Lord.
Good message, Fay. Also, we want to check our motives. Are we serving with not strings attached? Or are we serving so that we “get something.”
Be blessed!
I was recapping to my worship leader today the encounter I had last week Tuesday with the Holy Spirit regarding serving others and how immediately that desire to serve played out. I was about to leave home and I said to God ” if I can dry a tear, hold someone’s hand, share a smile, say a comforting word or offer help, in anyway to someone needing it today use me Lord “. Within a short while of saying that prayer a young gentle asked me for money for a coffee. I rarely offer money to strangers for fear of wrong use so I offered him a meal instead. Although I was viewed askance by onlookers I did what I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to do. It was only as I returned to my car that I remembered the words I uttered to God about serving others. I immediately teared up at how God used me… within a mere 2 hrs of letting him know I was willing to serve others as I represented him in a practical way in my daily life. Although I had done this same act many times before it was the fact that I desired to do it as a deliberate way of honoring Christ’s words about ” …doing it to the least of one of my brothers…that I understood the magnitude of having as servant’s heart and being Christlike . Jesus himself was the quintessence of serving others. The times I did it before I did not ask God to use me, they were more or less acts of my ” soft” heart. This time however, the Holy Spirit and I had a conversation.
Lovely example of service . . . and God answering our prayers and using us!
Thank you so much for sharing!
I agree Charlotte, but the flesh in me has to fight against ingratitude from others and just what is my motive for doing good constant ly. Pray my strength.
Hi Susan G.
I’m so glad I’ve I met you and you’re bringing me closer to God. I do give myself on a daily basic. I don’t see nothing wrong with putting a smile on a face. We don’t know what they have encountered on this day or any other day. Be thankful they called on you and God made a way.
The King will answer wheneveryou did it of any if my people, no matter how unimportant they may seem, you did it for me.
Matt. 25:40
I need this reminder today in the midst of chaos with a very sick husband. instead of just doing and caring for him, I need to just sit with him and be there so he can feel that I care.
Clearly the Holy Spirit used this to nudge you into another type of service — and it will be a blessing to your husband and to you!
Thank you Susan, I enjoyed reading your post. If we realized how rewarding it is to serve others and how much joy it can bring to ourselves, we would be doing more of it. When we give of ourselves, we are more like Jesus.
Yes, sometimes it’s important for us to stop and see the blessings and works of the Lord!
Praise God for His many blessings!
Enjoyed it all…
Indeed Charlotte us right, but when you sincerely serve from your heart, there is no better feeling than the one you get from service. A little love and a little care can do a whole lot of good. I learnt this fact some 20 years ago when I read one of Jamie Buckinghams’ books “where eagles soar”.
So many times we get weary in well doing but
If we push in spite of adversity. The recompense
Of reward is great . Moses refused to be called Pharoahs sister son and enjoy the pleasures
Of sin for a season, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt..
Hebrews 11:25
We have a faithful expectation , in the Lord even when it’s not received never let it make you
Bitter but be encouraged Jesus said what good is it to love those that love you, but love those who despite fully use you and count it all joy!
Good word, Charlotte. Thank you!