Serve Series

Building better relationships, building stronger relationships, building more sincere relationships—that’s what we have been learning from God’s Word for the past few weeks. God has taught the roles of LOVE, ENCOURAGEMENT, and FORGIVENESS and the parts each plays to build authentic relationships. Today we add another element to the equation—SERVICE.

We’ve all had experiences with customer service that we’d like to forget. But I tend to remember the ones that make me smile rather than frown.

For example, a man booked a last-minute trip on a well-known airline to see his dying grandson one last time. Traffic and long lines at the Los Angeles airport caused him to arrive at the gate 12 minutes after the plane’s schedules departure, but the airline had been informed of this man’s situation.

Imagine the man’s surprise when the pilot himself was standing there waiting for him. The pilot said, “They can’t go anywhere without me, and I wasn’t going anywhere without you. Now relax. We’ll get you there. And again, I’m so sorry.”

Now that’s service that you’ll never forget, right?

Good customer service is about doing what’s right and helping the other person. But we’re not talking about customers and business; we’re talking about relationships. The principle still applies though: We strengthen our relationships when we help and serve the other person. Serving goes along with a way to love others. Let’s get into God’s Word to see what God says about service.

Turn to Galatians 5. Freedom is a natural human hunger. We all want to feel free, but sin so easily entangles us, the writer of Hebrews tells us, and it holds our feet to the ground. In Galatians 5, however, Paul reminded us that a revolution has come through Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice, the power of sin has been broken, and we can be free from that downward spiral of sin. READ Gal. 5:13.

So, Paul tells us that we were called by God to be free. We are free in Christ. We’re free, but free to do what? First, let’s look at what this freedom is NOT. Our freedom in Christ is not a license to go back to our old lifestyles—to live like we did before we were saved. But so many that come to Christ do just that. They feel that because they have come down the aisle and professed publicly that Jesus Christ is their Savior, and then they follow Him in believers’ baptism, that now they are free to do whatever they want, including going back to drinking, and carousing, and so forth. So, the world doesn’t see any change in the person once they walk out of the church—which by the way, is many times the last time most churches see that person again until they need something. Harsh, I know, but it’s the truth.

Notice the word flesh in v. 13. That refers to our sinful nature, the “old person” that continues to live inside us, even after the moment of salvation. “The flesh” is the self-absorbed side of us that can grow like a cancer when let off its leash. It no longer owns us, but it likes to think it does. Paul knew firsthand about the continual pull of the old sin nature. He wrote about it in Romans 7.

And it’s that inward focus of the sin nature that not only harms us, but it affects our relationships. If I’m focused on myself, and you’re focused on yourself, how can we ever have a strong relationship? We can’t and we won’t!

When we focus inwardly on ourselves, sins like selfishness, greed, and uncaring attitudes quickly follow and will sour our relationship.

Dale was like that. Dale was a driven guy, an achiever, and a self-starter. In his career in pharmaceutical sales, he continually ranked among the top five in his company. When quarterly scores came out, Dale often raised his hands in victory as he saw his name sitting at the top.

Unfortunately, as Dale built his reputation in the marketplace, he destroyed his reputation with family and friends. Dale didn’t realize how badly he was treating others. Most days, he simply pushed others out of his head as he pursued his path to success. Do you know Dale? He or she might go by a different name but I think we all have met someone like Dale.

Dale is now divorced, having left his wife in the dust several years ago, and is supplying his children with a monthly check to ease his guilt. As time went on, damage also reached a critical point in other areas of his life, and Dale knew a day of reckoning would eventually come. May 23, 2014 was that day. He was let go after 15 years with the company.