How May I Serve You? ~ Mark Balmer

Based on “Foolish Wisdom” by Pastor Dave Folkerts; 10/31-11/01/09,

Message #DF143; Daily Devotional #5 - “How May I Serve You?”

Preparing the Soil (Introduction): Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:26-28)

Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): “How may I serve you?” Such is the attitude and thought that should continually be in our minds throughout the day as we interact with others. This is a decision we must make and continually be aware of, since we live in a world which operates with the opposite attitude: “How can you serve me?” Look at personal relationships. Quite often, a spouse will focus on whether or not his or her own needs are being met in the relationship: “He didn’t tell me he was going to be late for dinner.” “She didn’t have the house clean when I came home.” “He never tells me he loves me.” We live in a “me” focused world. We are conditioned to believe that life is about getting “my” needs met, about making sure “I get everything I deserve” and taking care of “me.” When we focus on making sure and demanding that “my needs” are met in a relationship, we are destined to be frustrated, upset, and disappointed. Such end results are inevitable. But more importantly, when we function in a relationship with such selfish attitudes, we are not living as God intends us to live. So instead of focusing on our own needs, God wants us to focus on others’ needs with the “How may I serve you?” attitude. When someone is late, don’t give it a second thought. Rather, express a joyful attitude about his or her arrival. When the house is not clean, realize that having a spotless house is not the most important requirement at the end of the day. Remember what Jesus told Martha. “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42) When someone does not express his or her love as you would like, remember God’s love for you and focus on expressing that love to others. For they loved praise from men more than praise from God. (John 12:43) And it is important for us to remember that we should not simply “go through the motions” of pretending to have a servant’s heart and attitude in such situations. If we tell our friend or spouse that we are happy to see them, but secretly hold onto anger because they did not take care of our needs, God knows this. “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Matthew 15:8) In such instances, our behavior may appear to be pleasing to God, but in reality, we are not pleasing God at all because our heart is not correct. We must start by examining our hearts and our motives.

Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): What we do is less important than why we do it. Two people may serve in the Children’s Ministry. Suzie serves because, in her heart, she wants to help train up our children in the way they should go. She wants to help raise a generation of Christ followers. Patty serves because she thinks it makes her a good person and helps her to feel good about herself. Notice the difference between Suzie’s and Patty’s focus: Suzie has an outward focus, while Patty has an inward focus. Both are engaged in the same behavior, but for entirely different reasons. We must constantly look at our hearts and our motives to make sure they are pleasing to God. Look at your behavior and then ask God to help you examine your motives. If your heart needs to change, admit it. And then ask God to help you change in that area of your life. He will help you.

Cultivating (Additional Reading): Philippians 2:5-8