Honoured To Serve

The self-sacrificing love and mercy we have received from our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ is nearly incomprehensible. In church we find ourselves filled with gratitude and praise for the grace and kindness we have received from him. Yet there is at times a lack of enthusiasm when it comes to serving in the church, or putting others needs ahead of ourselves, just as Jesus did for us. When this is the case, we can really miss out on opportunities to not only be a blessing to others, but to sow seeds of eternal value. There are things God wants to do through you, so he can do things for you. Don’t be the one to hold up your blessing!

In this week of our bible devotion we are taken from Titus 3, where most notably Paul reminds us of the extraordinary compassion of God our Saviour, and the amazing overflowing hope of eternal life made available to us through Jesus the Messiah. We end at Hebrews 5 where we see Jesus as our High Priest appointed by God the Father who is our “source of eternal salvation to all those who listen to him and obey” (Heb. 5:9 TPT). But we must be careful that we do not “become too dull and sluggish to understand” (Heb. 5:11 TPT), as is said of the Hebrews.

What I would like to emphasize is our good works and love to others, as Paul does in Titus 3:8, because I believe that it is a key to unlocking blessing in our lives. Paul encourages Titus in vs. 8 to emphasize the truths of what God has done for us in Christ, listed in vs. 4-7, in order to inspire those who believe to “devote themselves to good works.” When you really consider what Christ has done for you, you can’t help but want to share this great love with your neighbour.

It seems that we see such a contrast in Philemon, as Paul uses his spiritual son Onesimus for an example. Paul said in vs. 11, “Formerly he was not useful or valuable to you, but now he is valuable to both of us.” He noted in vs. 13, “I would have preferred to keep him at my side so that he could take your place as my helper during my imprisonment for the sake of the gospel.” Onesimus through his service became very near and dear to Paul, and Paul very humbly asks that they grant his request to allow Onesimus to serve at his side.

My encouragement is to simply consider how God, through His mercy came to save us, He took on flesh, He suffered and died for us. In doing so He became a servant of all. What greater honour can we have than to share this love with others by serving. When we meditate on His great love and mercy towards us, we are inspired to do good works and service as unto Him. Lend your hands and your feet to serve, allowing God to work through you, so He can get your blessing to you.