The Heart of our Faith                   5.  Service

As well as reaching out to the world with the Good News of Jesus, God also wants us to become servants, just as Jesus came to serve.

“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant…just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve…”   Matthew 20.26-7)

Our first calling is to serve God – but how do we serve God? By serving others, in his name. The Bible calls this MINISTRY.

We need three things in order to be a faithful servant.

1.    We need availability. We must be available to God and others – not afraid to be interrupted. This can be disrupted by self-centredness or perfectionism or materialism

2.    We need an attitude of gratitude. We will be willing to serve if we have a right attitude towards ourselves, and see what God has done for us.

3.    We need to be faithful.  That means not giving up, but keeping going. It means recognizing what is significant, and not just prominent. It means never belittling the little!

God needs you to be available as his servant! You cannot leave it to others – your gifts are essential, whoever you are.

Ø     How is God calling you to serve?

Ø     What gifts has he given you to use?

Ø     Are you ready to be a part of our Church’s ministry of service to the world?

Try using this prayer this week –

“Lord, thank you for placing your trust in me so much that you want me to serve others in your name. Help me to be available to you this week, whatever that may mean. Forgive me that I am so often selfish, and prefer to put myself first. I want to use the gifts that you have given me – so help me to find out what they are, and how best to be a servant of others in your name – Amen.”