Speaking God's Love Language: Acts of Service

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  Ephesians 2:10

 

This love language that we speak to God can be one of the hardest for Christians to keep in proper perspective.  Unfortunately, I have encountered so many people that are trying to earn their salvation by doing good works or acts of service.  They think that the more positions they hold in the church, the more coats they provide for the homeless, and the more hours they spend visiting shut-ins, then they will be more deserving of God's love and the sacrifice of His Son.

 

We must always remember that Christ's death on the cross provided complete atonement for our sins and that His death proved God's love for us (Rom. 5:8).  No good works we will ever perform will cover up any of our sins nor cause God to love us any more than He already does.  He gave us a gift with no strings attached.  All we have to do is believe.

 

Whew!  Got that out of the way!  Now we can now delve into all of the amazing ways that God shows His love to us by serving us and then how we can reciprocate that love.

I can totally commiserate with the disciples whenever Jesus came with towel in hand and bent down to wash their feet.  I don't feel worthy to receive any act of kindness after having received the ultimate gift of salvation.  Isn't that gift of salvation enough?  Well, not according to God!

In the Old Testament, we see God showing up in the lives of His children on countless occasions.  From the way He delivered them from the Egyptian army at the Red Sea to the countless battles He fought on their behalf, God very frequently served His undeserving people. 

How has God served you? 

• Has He brought health back to a sick child or family member? 
• Have you gotten a job or promotion that could only have been brought about by the Hand of God?  
• Has He placed people in your life that love you, encourage you, and lift you up?

Where we common refer to these occurrences as "blessings," they are more specifically ways that God shows love to His people.  They are acts of service from God to us.

So, we can all agree that we are so undeserving of God's kindness, yet He bestows it anyways.  Now, how can we bestow that same kindness back to Him?

The verse above tells us not only that God has prepared things for us to do, but also that He created us specifically for the task of being His hands and feet in the world.  We were created to serve Him by serving those around us.  It's not until we are fully obedient to this verse that we are fulfilling the call that God has placed on the life of each person who has placed their trust in Him.

What are some ways we can serve an Almighty God?

•  Being mindful of those in need around us and stepping up to the plate when we see a need that we can fill.
• Participate in service to His church, i.e. teaching, planning, ministering.
• Fulfilling a duty that is normally done by someone else, just out of kindness.
• Being an encourager and let your light shine through the smile on your face each day.

The truth is, God has called you to serve Him in a way that is unique to you.  Each day you wake up presents itself with new opportunities to be the hands and feet of God.  Make the decision today that you are going to look for ways to serve God by serving the people around you.

Pray today that God would give you a heart for service.  Pray for strength on the days that you feel too week to serve.  And most importantly, pray that God would keep your mind from ever thinking that your service to Him is an exchange for grace.  His grace was a free gift and all of the acts of service in the world could never earn the grace He bestows.