Worship through Service

Yesterday I wrote about the need to put actions behind the words that we speak regarding our relationship with God. Last night the Bible Study focused around the need of service. Pastor Smith reminded us that we worship God through acts of service to non-believers as well as believers. My heart was challenged as I listened not only to the Pastor but to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit into my heart regarding my service to God. Most of us like to think that we are "servants" at heart; but do I truly possess the desire to serve others? Am I more interested in those things that are done for the recognition of man or am I interested in those things which bring praise to God? I am reminded of a statement that I have often made; "We receive more of a blessing for those things that we do in private then the things that we do in the eye of the public." Now, that does not mean that there is not a need for acts of public service but it does mean that we need to be sensitive to those opportunities to serve people out of the notice of others. I have alluded to these thoughts in an earlier posting but I am convinced that these are the days in which the people of God can step forward and become lights in the midst of the darkness that is surrounding us. My thinking about service was also challenged along this line of thinking; when I consider all that Christ has done for me, how should I live and conduct myself? Is my life revealing gratitude and thankfulness through my service to others. It can certainly be said of Jesus that He was not "self-serving." Does my life/conduct reflect "self-serving" or does it reflect the desire to serve others in sincere acts of kindness? If someone was describing you today, would they describe you as someone that is kind and gentle? Would you be described as a person that is willing to listen when someone needs to share their struggles? Would they describe us as people who represents Christ through our acts of service toward others? I know these questions may sound somewhat intrusive into our lives; but after all the Bible did call us "ambassadors of Christ." We do represent the King of Kings in this present world and we are given the awesome opportunity to reveal His love and grace to a lost and hurting world. I desire to represent Him well and I desire for my life to be lived through the "worship of service." Let my life be a sweet fragrance/aroma to those that I encounter on a daily basis. Let this day be a day in which you purposefully look for opportunities to release random acts of kindness which in turn will release the love of God toward those that we encounter.