October 29 | Application (‘What Does It Mean to Serve?’)

By David Faust 

Service has a sound. It sounds like snow shovels scraping on the sidewalk so aging neighbors will have a dry path to walk, and hammers pounding nails at a Habitat for Humanity building site. It’s the screech of a siren as an emergency vehicle speeds to the scene of an accident, and the rustle of pages turning while a volunteer helps a first-grader learn to read. 

Service has a fragrance. It’s the aroma rising from hundreds of loaves of homemade bread my wife has baked and given away over the years. It’s the smell of leaves raked from a shut-in’s backyard, and the odor of motor oil when an amateur mechanic volunteers to fix his neighbor’s car. Sometimes service smells like changing diapers in the church nursery or going on a mission trip to a city where raw sewage runs in the streets.  

Service has a feeling. Often it feels uncomfortable—like the day I spent on a mission trip assisting a dentist in a Mexican village. My awkward efforts confirmed that God didn’t call me to be a dental hygienist. But throughout the day, the dentist’s skill turned painful problems into thankful smiles, and the dentist smiled too because she was doing what the Creator wired her to do. 

Service has names. These names are words from the Greek language, in which the New Testament was originally written. Doulos (“slave”) is used to reveal that Jesus “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). Therapon (“attendant” or “worshipper”), from which we derive “therapy” and “therapeutic,” appears in Hebrews 3:5, which says “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house.” Jesus used diakonos (“deacon,” “minister,” “waiter,” or “helper”) when he said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26). Uperetes (“assistant” or “attendant”) describes someone who does menial or lowly tasks. It was used for slaves assigned to row in the lowest deck of a ship. Paul used this term when he referred to himself and the other apostles “as servants of Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:1).  

Service has role models. Daniel served with integrity and skill in the highest echelon of a pagan government. Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. Tabitha (Dorcas) was “always doing good and helping the poor,” and when she died, widows showed Peter the clothes she had made for those in need (Acts 9:36-42). Service looks like someone staying late to clean up after church dinners. It looks like kindhearted children who make sure no one in their class has to eat lunch alone. Service is visible in the volunteers who visit the sick and teach the church’s middle schoolers week after week.  

Service has a purpose. Joy and satisfaction come as side benefits, but we don’t serve to impress others, to earn points with God, or even because it makes us feel good. As 1 John 3:16 makes clear, the fact Christ laid down his life for us motivates us to share his love with others. 

Service has a reward. Jesus said, “If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple . . . that person will certainly not lose their reward” (Matthew 10:42). Admittedly, the world’s needs seem overwhelming. You and I can’t solve every social problem or mend every broken heart, but we can give cups of cold water for Jesus’ sake. Everyone thirsts for a taste of God’s goodness. Quenching that thirst—even for a moment—is one of the most rewarding roles of all.  

Personal Challenge: Do a random act of kindness for someone else this week.