John 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
I think it’s awesome how all these scriptures kinda flow together. An attribute of charity is service and when we are humble, we are more willing to serve others. Another scripture that comes to mind when I think about service is “When you are in the service of your fellow being, ye are only in the service of your God.”
Service was something Jesus Christ exemplified with His every moment. Even when He was tired after a long day, He would take time to listen to others and teach them the things He knew would bring them the greatest happiness.
When we give service to others, we either show by our actions how much we love them or how much we love God, sometimes both. Sometimes we can help ourselves get over bad feelings towards someone, or help someone get over bad feelings towards us, by helping and serving them. Giving of our time and talents to help or better others is one of the best uses of our time.
One of the things my parents taught me growing up was that service can be a great tool to alleviate conflict. I’d grumble and complain, like most kids, when asked to come up with something nice I could do for someone I was having a problem with. But, my parents being the people they are, they wouldn’t let me complain my way out of it. Service doesn’t always solve the problem, at least not right away, but it does help soften hearts and heal some wounds.
To me, the greatest act of service ever performed was when Jesus Christ offered Himself up as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. He suffered in Gethsemane and died a painful death on the cross so that each of us could have the opportunity to return back to live with Him. What greater act of love or service is there than to give your life for that of another? At any moment He could have changed His mind and gotten Himself away from the pain and the ridicule. But He didn’t. He chose to go through what He went through because He loves each of us so much. If ever you doubt whether or not God and Jesus Christ love you, remember this: ‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.‘ and keep in mind that Jesus Christ did not suffer on the cross because He only loved a few. He did that because He loves us ALL. He showed that every day of His life by His teachings and His service.
So, if there is nothing else in this life that you remember, remember that Jesus Christ lived His love for the world by His acts of service towards all mankind. Our acts of service do not have to be so grand and important, we just need to do some. Carrying groceries for someone, picking something up when someone drops it, opening a door, comforting a crying child, helping with a project that is stressing someone out, drawing someone a picture or writing a note to brighten their day. Those are all examples of service that we can do easily. Question is, will you do it?
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