Serving

"nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing."
(2 Samuel 24:24)
There is a cost to serving.  Serving, by it's very nature, is not easy nor is it free.  It is an easy thing to say, "I will take care of you", but a very different thing to remain faithful to that pledge.  Serving others is the crucible of self-centeredness.  Our basic attitude, our nature is one of "serve me."  To serve others is not natural with mankind but when done in love brings blessing to the one serving as well as the one being served.  Of course the greatest example of serving was Jesus and His demonstration of serving others during His earthly life, ministry and death.  While Jesus knew what He was doing and why, His humbling Himself to become a servant (Phil.2) was not always approved by others and at times He was actually rebuked for it.  Our humble service can be misunderstood and even despised because it can bring guilt when displayed.  Then there is what serving does within us.  The act of serving others is tapping the well of the compassion of Jesus within us and we get to be refreshed by that spring.  One day I was watching a person who was near death.  They were requiring more and more care as their strength lessened and their death approached.  Yet, death didn't come quickly.  More and more was being required of the loved ones.  While talking with a friend I said, "I don't really understand why the Lord doesn't just take the struggling older saint."  He said, "often it is because those serving them needs to serve them!"  That was one of those moments of revelation for me.  The one needing the service was actually providing a service to the one doing the serving.  Jesus said that when we were serving, even the "least of these", we are serving Him.  May we all have a fresh grace today to engage every opportunity to serve when we see the need and realize what a powerful ministry we are honored by Jesus to perform.