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.
You see, we can choose to live each day focusing only on ourselves, our needs, and our goals. But that’s no way to live. When we come to know Christ, and form a relationship with Him, we then do as the song says, “We come to know what it means to LIVE and not just be alive.”
If we don’t, the consequences are devastating. In Christ, we’re set free from sin and its trappings. But we’re not set free to do anything we want. We’re set free to serve God and serve others in His Name. Thank God for the freedom He has given us. In Christ, we find peace that only He can give.
READ Gal. 5:14-15. Paul knew that the only remedy for the flesh is an ongoing relationship with Christ. So, he is saying that as we focus on Christ, we also are to focus on those He has brought into our lives. We should maximize our freedom in Christ by loving people through service.
Paul is talking about community and our relationships with one another. I think we will all admit that the ultimate result of Christ’s death and resurrection is the forgiveness of sin and a relationship with God. But when that relationship with God occurs by us accepting Christ as our own, then it alters the way we feel about ourselves, which is no more guilt and it opens our eyes and our hearts to the way we feel about others. We can now love people, and we express that love through serving them.
Now, how does that “serving” work? How are we to serve? Think of the ways you naturally serve yourself. When your body needs food, you run to the fridge. When your body says, “I’m sleepy,” you search for a pillow and blanket. When your body feels the need for exercise, we IGNORE IT. No! We take a walk.
This is self-service. Now, this type of self-service isn’t necessarily bad, but Paul challenges us to serve others just as we faithfully serve ourselves. We “serve” our needs. Likewise, we can serve others when they have needs. Make everyday investments in others until it becomes a habit. Then is becomes just a natural way of life of serving others.
Here’s a way you might consider serving someone. Ask someone at work or in your family or at school, someone you see regularly, HOW you can pray for them. Pray for them for 2 weeks. Then follow up by asking about that need, that you prayed for, to see how God answered.
READ Gal. 6: 1-5. When it comes to relationships, many people place all their energy eggs in one basket. That basket of choice is typically the one that brings about the most “warm fuzzies” and public pats on the back. (Look what I did.)
In Gal. 6, Paul gave us a more effective way for using our energy and time, that is, helping others. Paul begins by describing a way of helping others that may surprise you. Serve others by confronting them in love. When you see someone wrapped up in some wrongdoing, you restore that person but with a gentle spirit.
“You ought to be ashamed of yourself.” That’s not a gentle spirit.
Paul continues to show us ways of serving others. He says we are to carry one another’s burdens. I have learned that a burden carried on two sets of shoulders is only half the weight. Strong relationships call for us to help carry loads. It’s a lot easier to move a heavy piece of furniture when someone is there to help you carry it. It’s still my load to carry, but by someone alongside and helping me carry it, you ease my strain. In a sense, my burden becomes your burden as we carry it together.
One of the most important roles you play in other’s lives is to help them see their blind spots. Anyone who drives a car can grasp this idea. Caran and I were in the drive thru at Bill Miller’s after dark and the line was so slow, I decided to get out of line and go somewhere else. I cut the wheel to here Caran say, “Watch it!” There was a parking lot light pole right next to the passenger door that I would have sideswiped if she hadn’t hollered. Of course, my heart skipped a beat but it was for my own good. Thanks to her, I didn’t hit the pole.
Paul challenged the church to GENTLY, LOVINGLY, and SENSITIVELY serve others by helping them see the way they wound themselves or others. This process requires much prayer, but it must be a part of a healthy relationship. Also, when Paul says to carry one another’s burdens, he meant it to go both ways. You help carry my burdens, and I help carry yours. But, to do that, requires some opening up and bearing our soul. After all, people can’t help you lift something that they don’t know about.
READ Gal. 6:10. Paul mentions here the need to demonstrate love to all, but he stressed the importance of Christians investing in other Christians. Relationships inside the church are held at the highest level. People outside the faith, outside the church will say, “Well that’s selfish—giving priority to church members above non-church members.” But right here we see that it’s Scriptural.
Being with the body of believers is critical to spiritual growth. It should go without saying: One of the prerequisites for healthy relationships is your consistent presence in others’ lives. It’s a challenge to serve people that you rarely sit and talk with. So, the first step of obedience to Galatians 6:10 is simply to show up more frequently! Did everyone hear that? To be effective in serving others who belong to the household of faith, you must show up frequently. And more frequently.
Paul goes a step further here. Once you put yourself regularly into this church environment, he says don’t just sit back and soak it up. Don’t wait for the invitation to serve, but search for opportunities to work for the good in others’ lives.
In one case, God may call you to give money to meet a need. He may call you to write a note or a card of encouragement. For another, God may require you to take the time to become a frequent phone caller, checking in regularly to let someone know they aren’t alone in their battle. The opportunities to serve are endless.
READ Romans 12:1-8. While most Christians are ready to serve in any way they are needed, the wisest way to serve others is by opening up your unique package of spiritual gifts. What are you gifted at? What type of service do you feel at ease doing? That is probably your spiritual gift.
Paul made it evident that serving others is a huge part of offering our lives as a living sacrifice. So, look deep within and recognize your spiritual gifts and use those gifts and abilities to serve and meet the needs that lie before you.
If it is service, then serve. If it is teaching, then teach. If it is encouraging others, then encourage. If it is giving, then give. If it is visiting, then visit. If it is writing cards and letters, then write. If it is phone calling, then do so. What God has gifted you to do, do so for the benefit of others by using those gifts in service to others.
Don’t hold back on what God has gifted you to do.
No 2 Christians are exactly the same. Our needs, as well as our gifts and abilities to serve and minister can vary. But each of us is equally called to work for the good of all. All that remains for us to do is to open our hearts and eyes to see the needs and opportunities, and go for it!
Charles Spurgeon once said: Faith and works are bound up in the same bundle.
He that obeys God trusts God;
and he that trusts God obeys God.
He that is without faith is without works;
and he that is without works is without faith.
God wants us to be His people that are willing to serve one another to build those necessary relationships to carry on His work. I CLOSE WITH THIS:
Usually, it takes a big problem for God to get hold of people’s hearts and change them into the people he wants them to be. Don’t let something like this happen to you: (as I tell this story, think about your service to God, to the church, and others. How regular is your church attendance. Again, you can’t form a relationship with a fellow Christian in church if you never see that person.)
A certain family in a Southern Baptist Church had been inactive for years. The family simply never went to church anymore and every effort to get them to attend had failed. God wants and needs us to serve. That’s why He chose us in the first place. One day one of the sons, named John, was bitten by a rattlesnake. The father immediately sent for the pastor that he might come and pray for John.
The pastor went and this was his prayer: “Oh wise and gracious Father, we thank You that You have in Your wisdom sent this rattlesnake to bite John in order to bring him to his senses. He has not been to church for years. It is doubtful if he has ever before in all his life felt the need of prayer. Now we pray that this will prove a valuable lesson for him, and that it will lead to his repentance.
“And we also pray, O father, that You would send another snake to bite Sam, and another to bite Jim, and another to bite the old man. We have been doing everything we could for many years, but all our efforts could not accomplish what this snake has done. “We thus conclude that the only thing that will do this family any good is rattlesnakes. So, please, Lord, send them bigger and better rattlesnakes. Amen.”
AGAIN I SAY: Usually, it takes a big problem for God to get hold of people’s hearts and change them into the people he wants them to be. I pray that God has gotten hold of your heart today.
