March 15, 2013 - Saved to Serve

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.   (Galatians 5:13)

We are all called to serve God by serving others. Some people think that pastors, missionaries, or church leaders are the only ones who can serve. People have the misconception that being “called” by God is something only missionaries, pastors, nuns, and other church leaders experience. But the Bible says everyone is called to serve God by serving others.

Serving does not save us; rather, we are saved so we can serve.

 The Apostle Paul says: "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free." Before you serve God, you have to be saved. Until you have felt His grace and have been changed, you are chained by your sins (habits, pain, baggage, etc...) and not able to fully put others first. If we serve out of the wrong reasons, we will be unfulfilled, tired, and even bitter.
We have many reasons for not serving. The interesting thing is that all of these justifications boil down to one! We are selfish. We will say we do not have the time to serve because we are "too tired" or "not enough time." It is because we are not following the Lord. We are too self-absorbed.

God is more interested in your heart not how well you serve. You are a reflection of Jesus’ love when you are serving others.
Ask yourself, am I serving out of love? If you are not, then ask God to change your heart. Ask God to show you where He is working and go serve!

…. Matt Price