If someone told you serving would make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, I’m sorry, someone lied to you. Oh, it totally could, but for me, most the time it doesn’t.
I think that’s ok. I think that’s the way it’s suppose to be. Jesus told the rich man,
“If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” – Matthew 19:21
He couldn’t do it. It was too much of a sacrifice.
I think we are all called to sacrifice. And sacrificing isn’t suppose to be easy.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. – Romans 12:1
That doesn’t sound easy to me.
I don’t think His disciples felt all warm and fuzzy either.
In Matthew 14:15, they were telling Jesus it was getting late, and to send the crowd home so they could eat. I bet they wanted to eat too! It seems like they were always trying to get away from the crowd. Shooing children away too (Matthew 19:13). What’s up with that?
Serving is exhausting and inconvenient.
Look at what the Bible says.
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. – Philippians 2:4
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed. – Proverbs 19:17
For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. – Philippians 2:13
It’s selfless too. Ugh. Well, that’s just not fun.
Serving doesn’t sound warm and fuzzy to me. In fact it sounds pretty hard. And why would I do something hard on purpose when life itself, is hard?
I’m going to go with…
BECAUSE OF JESUS!
Have you ever had Jesus smile at you? Have you felt his embrace? Have you heard him whisper your name?
It’s like falling in love. I do it for Him, not for me. I do it because it makes HIM happy.
You know when you fall in love with someone who likes sports and you don’t know the difference between the green team and the red team, but you know if you cheer real hard for the blue team it makes your Love happy?
Or, you beg to go to another Nascar race even though the first one you went to, you had to breathe out of your hat for the next four hours because the fumes smelled so bad?
Or you tried to buy online tickets to the St. Louis Cardinals’ Spring Training game, only to find out later their Spring Training is in Florida and NOT Arizona!!!?
Yeah, serving is just like that. It’s showing up not having a clue as to what you are doing. It’s not necessarily enjoying the experience. It’s exactly like looking like a fool.
There is absolutely nothing I can do to show Jesus how much love I feel for him. I cannot WOW him with my excellent-ness. But I can learn what he likes. I can do what he calls me to do.
He’s called us all to love God and love others (Mark 12:30-31). If that’s what I can do to show him how much I love him back, then I want to do it. Over and over again.
You see, Jesus makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. That’s why you serve. That’s why I serve.
He is amazing, and I am smitten!
Growing Faith 