Serving the Lord
For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another (Galatians 5:13).
Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the world, proclaimed some mighty powerful words to the crowds, who were actually trying to kill him, when He stated, “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).
The question arises, “Free from what?” The answer is the power of sin. We no longer have to walk in worldly ways or participate in sinful activities. God the Father has given us the Holy Spirit as a guide, along with the Word of God, to lead us in our day-to-day activities.
There are numerous results obtained by this amazing freedom. One of them is the ability to love others by serving them. Is there one specific way in how we are to love each other? Answer: no!
We have so many different opportunities to show our love for the Lord through service. Besides putting our love into action for our spouse or immediate family, there are others in the body that can be served.
What are the two greatest commandments by our Lord? In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus explained the vertical relationship to the Father and the horizontal relationship we have with each other. It is easy to say, “I love God,” but not work that out in our lives.
In the second chapter of the Book of James, we learn that “faith without works is dead.” When unbelievers look at our lives, do they see our love for the Lord? We all know that works do not get us to heaven (Ephesians 2:8, 9), but they still are an important part in a believer’s life.
The great “love” chapter (1 Corinthians 13) is a good reminder of many things. In this chapter we are reminded that we are to show our love by our actions. It is so easy to say, as some teenage “lovers” might, that “I love you!” The key would be to back that claim up with a life pleasing to one another in the Lord. If I truly love my spouse, I will want to maximize the good things I do for her and minimize the bad things.
Galatians 6:10 is also very clear in telling us that we are to help others, even unbelieving neighbors or relatives. We are commanded to use our time, treasure, and talent to serve, as we have the opportunity, which actually means today!
Tomorrow (or next week, or next year) I might not be able to help others due to poor health, finances, location, job schedule, etc. Is there a ministry that needs some help right now? Is there a need that you could fill by starting a brand new ministry? The possibilities are not only endless, but eternal!