Strong spirits: wanna be great?

Would you rather be served, or serve?  To be honest, most of the time I would rather be served!  And yet God, and the example of Jesus, make it clear that we are here to serve others.

I have friends that are great at this... who simply love to help others!  Don't get me wrong, I do too, but not always, and sometimes not for very long.  I need to take Jesus' example seriously, let him fill me with humility and power, and get to work.

"... the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves."  Jesus to his followers (Luke 22:26)

"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet."  Jesus to his disciples  (John 13:14)

"The King will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."  (Jesus to his followers Matthew 25:40)

Serving is different than being a servant.  Anyone can serve, any time, or choose not to.  A servant does the will of his master.  Which for you?

We all have different gifts, different skills, different capabilities.  But we all have the capacity to serve.  Jesus asks us to do so, lovingly, humbly, willingly.  And when we do, the blessing is ours.

Gary Schwerin serves as pastor at Caledonia Congregational Church. He is also the Spiritual Development Minister for the YMCA of the Rock River Valley and Executive Director of Bridge Ministries of Rockford. Prior to launching Bridge Ministries, Gary spent many years in leadership with Young Life. His columns appear here every Sunday - to see them all, subscribe to our daily email.