THE BLESSINGS OF SERVING
Philippians 2:5-7
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
I don't Remember a time when I wasn't guiding someone, somewhere, for something. I guess it probably started when I brought school friends to our hunting camp and showed them some places to hunt. Or maybe it was when I brought a few others trout fishing on some streams I loved to fish. Without knowing it, taking a couple people with me, here and there, turned into a lifelong passion and a career. It might not have made much money... but it was worth every cent I never made.
Over the last nearly 40 years the span of places I've guided has taken me from our southern border, just north of the Rio Grande River, to the mountains, rivers and lakes of Alaska. I've loved nearly every minute of it.
One of the things that I have enjoyed the most about guiding, whether for money or for free is the serving part. To see the excitement on the face of a young boy or girl or old man that just took their first buck, gobbler, elk or bear makes all of the hard work worthwhile. There's something about serving and seeing results that lifts the person doing the service work.
A couple of years ago we volunteered to host a deer hunt for a couple of kids from other parts of the country. One young lady in particular came from down south and she and her family had very little in possessions. She was so excited about everything she experienced here. When she took her buck, (a big 7 point) to see the tears in her eyes and her dad's eyes was more valuable than me shooting a record book buck myself. That's what serving others is all about...
God calls us to serve. He's give you and I skills or knowledge that someone else doesn't have, God put us together as a family and prepared us with different abilities for a reason, to serve one another. Mark 10:45 tells us, "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
When Jesus speaks about serving, we should listen to Him. Here is the very God of the universe Who came as a Man to serve. The word He uses for servant is the Greek word "diakoneō" which is where we get the name "deacon". Diakoneō means; "to be a servant of, to serve, wait upon, or minister to." That is what every one of us is called to do. Not to be a deacon but to be a servant of the members of Christ's Body, the church and to the world beyond. He served to the uttermost, giving His very "life as a ransom for many."
How do we not serve others in simple ways, when Jesus did what He did for us? I've found that the serving others is a true blessing to me as well... We see these blessing in different ways, but they are always there. There is true reward for serving others. As we serve others we are serving God Himself.
"Serve the Lord with gladness." — Psalm 100:2
What a great thought for the one that loves the Lord. Serving is a sweet aroma to the one that is focused on others and the Lord. But to the one that is living for himself, "serving" is a bitter thought. The very thought of serving is drudgery, work, even painful. There is no joy in the effort to those that don't love the Lord.
If we look around and listen to the needs of others, we will see and hear of needs and opportunities to serve. There is little that is more gratifying than filling the needs of a friend or a stranger.
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