Serving One Another In Love

"As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" 1 Peter 4:10





Happy Monday! What a blur the weekend has been. We've had lots of projects, activities, and so forth to keep us very busy the last two days. When life gets busy, it can definitely wear you out to the point of exhaustion. I know I'm glad I had a little time for relaxation with my family yesterday afternoon to get each of us ready to go into a new week.





One of the things I most enjoyed this weekend was the opportunity to work on some home projects as a family. We were building a project and planting some plants we'd picked up Saturday morning. It was a great time of bonding with the children and provided an opportunity for us to act as a team working together to accomplish a goal. For instance, as I was placing some plants in planters, I didn't have enough slack in the garden hose to reach the planters to water them. My daughter saw the dilemma and went and pulled out some more hose for me to reach. The only problem was she couldn't free the hose which had become wedged under my husband's truck tire. My son rounded the corner of the house just in the nick of time. I asked him to help her pull the remaining hose free. He was willing and eager to oblige with an opportunity to come out being the strong hero in the situation. It was pretty funny. So, between the three of us, we got the garden hose pulled out enough so we could begin watering the plants.



What I most enjoyed about the planting project and the building project we helped my husband complete was the time which had to be spent serving one another. Not one of us could say we did the projects on our own because we all had to work together to complete them. While some parts may have seemed more insignificant to the finished product than others, they all played a crucial role in the final outcome. The team effort payed off in the end and we could sit back and enjoy the finished product with an equal amount of satisfaction in a job well done. In fact, my son hadn't seen it as work at all. When we finished, he asked about other projects we could work together to complete!



We have a wonderful, unique opportunity to serve every single day. We have opportunities in the grocery store line to let someone else go ahead of us who has fewer items. We can open doors, take food to the sick or grieving, make hospital or nursing home visits, send cards or emails of encouragement, etc... The avenues by which we can serve are endless. We aren't limited by our physical abilities, either. If we're homebound, we can still be intercessory prayer warriors for those in need. In fact, there's nothing which offers more power than the power of prayer.



The only thing which stands between us and serving others can be summed up in one word: willingness. We only have to be willing. We see a need in our churches and we step in and serve where God leads us because we want others to see the Jesus, who came to serve, in us. We don't have to lose heart due to weariness either. We can pray about our busy schedules to God. He can help us identify which things need to be pruned from our lives so that we can serve as He calls us. He can also help us identify in what areas our gifts and talents are best used to that we don't overextend ourselves. We can become effective members of our churches and communities through the power of prayer and a willingness and obedience to His commands to serve.





God knit each of us together with marvelous intricacy. He apportioned specific gifts and talents to each of us which make us unique. Those gifts were given to us to be used in union with others to bring all glory and honor to Him. If we think of it that way, serving is a wonderful privilege. It's an exciting opportunity be a beacon of light to others. After all, the old saying "Actions speak louder than words" demonstrates character and integrity. Our actions and service toward others are a wonderful demonstration of the love of Christ.


Heavenly Father, we know that just as Jesus came to serve, you command us to do the same. Thank you for the wonderful privilege and opportunity to demonstrate your love to others. Lord, help us not to become weary in doing good. Renew us. Give us the strength to be obedient to your call. Give us complete clarity in how our time is best spent each day. Show us ways in which we can best serve you by serving one another in love. We don't want to simply tell you we love you, we want to demonstrate our love for you. However, Lord, we know there's nothing we can do by our own works which will get us into eternity. So Lord, help us to reflect on your grace and know that our acts of service stem from our loving devotion to you. Thank you for loving us despite our sin. Thank you for forgiving us and serving us in the most miraculous way of all-- by sending your Son to die for us. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.