Aug 31, 2021
Jesus came to make us free, but our freedom has a purpose. We are now free to serve one another. Hear that as serving others. We naturally serve ourselves. But our job as followers of Jesus is to serve others. When we serve them we make Jesus visible. He entered our world, and because he was one with the Father, he was free to lay down his life for us.
Our passage challenges us to choose who we serve. We can serve ourselves or we can serve others. Serving ourselves is a trick. It ends in death. A few translations say we can use our freedom as an opportunity for our flesh. We’re free to drink, overeat, do whatever we want. We can do our jobs and live our lives for ourselves only. Or we can serve others through love. We’re either going to serve ourselves or serve others.
The freedom Jesus gives is the freedom to serve. Serving others is how we share the life of Jesus. Before we trusted and followed him, we could only serve ourselves. Even when we chose to serve others, I found I often even served others for my own selfish reasons. But when we follow him, we get another choice. We can serve others because we follow Jesus. We experience his eternal life, here and forever, when we do. We experience his joy and spend some of our time in eternity here on earth when we serve others. Jesus came to serve, and he calls us to serve, too. (Mark 10:45).
How can you serve others at work? Think. What do you have that can serve others? Time, Money, Energy, Attention? Take some extra time and think of ways you can serve others. You can buy a lunch, or you can stay late and do extra work. If your department hands off work to another team, find out how you can make their job easier. What can you do differently to make their life easier? Ask God to show you how you can serve others, and expect God’s joy when you do.
Finally, share this podcast with someone else. Send them a note and ask them to think about their work as an opportunity to become a full-time servant (or minister). You’ll experience God’s joy knowing you’ve done your job today.