Service

I was so excited last week because Patrick was talking about Service and so we would get to talk about service in Small Group as well.  But I got sick and missed Sunday morning and Small Group. So I figured I would use this space to talk a little bit more about service.

I’ve shared before about how lucky I was to be so exposed to a lifestyle of service in my most formative years. I spent several weeks each summer with my dad in Eastern Kentucky serving local folks alongside churches from all over the eastern half of the country. I also happened to be in middle school when Bridges launched, and being a part of a church plant provided lots of opportunity to serve in different ways.

Here are a couple of ways service has impacted my life:

1. Purpose

I am sure each of you have experienced this in one way or another. While on the surface service is all about the people being served, almost all of the time the person serving comes away impacted just as much, if not more so than the person being served. Why is that? Well there are a lot of reasons, but I’d argue that chief among them is that the person serving feels a sense of purpose. We all long for purpose and we can only truly find that in Jesus. So, it is no surprise that as we emulate Jesus and become a servant we would find some sense of purpose. We were after all created in the image of God and if God’s son is a servant, there is a good argument that we are created to serve as well.

On the other side of the same token, I also believe that when we serve within our God given giftedness, we also experience purpose and satisfaction.  

To illustrate that idea I like to think of those small sedans that have those aftermarket or U-Haul branded trailer hitch receivers on the back. That car was not meant to pull a significant amount of weight behind it. Its chassis was not engineered for that purpose, the engine in that car isn’t strong enough for that type of load and the transmission isn’t geared for that type of work.  

On the other hand a Ford F-350 Super Duty is very much built with the intention to use the factory installed trailer hitch receiver to pull large trailers with lots of weight. The chassis of the truck is much stronger and rugged than the sedan. The engine has more horsepower and cylinders to handle the heavy load. And the transmission is geared to withstand the toll of pulling that much weight. Newer trucks even have fancy features that make pulling heavy loads even easier on the vehicle.

2. Selflessness

The older I get, the more and more I realize how hard I have to fight my selfishness. I find that one of the best ways for me to fight selfishness is to have regular scheduled times in my week where I am intentionally doing something for other people. Intentionally is the key there. It is too easy for service to become another check box on the list of things you do in your day. But if service is approached with the heart of a servant (like Jesus), it is a great way to put other people ahead of yourself.  

Service comes in many different shapes and sizes. Maybe it is service on a Ministry Team at church (like the Family Ministry…) Maybe it is during the week with a non profit group like a homeless shelter, soup kitchen or the Learning Center. Maybe it is closer to home serving your kids, spouse, siblings, or parents. Maybe it is serving someone or in some way at work. That part doesn’t really matter. Taking on the posture of a servant and loving people enough to put their needs above your own is humbling and an incredible way to fight your tendencies of selfishness.

I hope if you aren’t currently serving in some regular capacity in your life that you take some time this weekend to consider where and why you might serve.  

P.S. I love stories, so if you have any great stories you want to share with me about how God has used serving to impact your life, email me at jacob@bridgeschurch.net or pull me aside on Sunday.