The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. ~ Matthew 20:28
I read the Bible, I listen to what the Holy Spirit imparts to me and I try to live my life in a way that honors God. I like to think I know a lot about what it means to be a follower of Christ, but even today it absolutely staggers me when I see how completely opposite a life devoted to Christ is from what the world would have us live.
Let us take the verse above as an example. Jesus Christ would have us live for others, He came and told us He had come to fulfill the Law we had been under, (the 300+ rules and regulations of the Old Testament) and gave us two. Love God and love others. Period. Both of these rules put others before ourselves. Jesus Himself, the Son of God came and put others before Himself. He came with the purpose of dragging us up from the dirt and setting us in the throne room of God, and I do not feel like I am exaggerating or mixing in hyperbole when I say this. He served, and we are called to do the same. This does not mean to ignore your needs or that you can not live a happy or fulfilling life. God wants you to be joyful and content, but also to help others be the same.
By sharing that joy with others we live happier and more fulfilled lives. Nothing in this world brings me more happiness then knowing I have served in a meaningful way and helped a brother or sister in need. It does not matter if they know it was me, this is not about getting a reward but about sharing love and joy through service. The world on the other hand... well I do not want to get too negative here or make accusations, but it seems that the more we go on the more life becomes about getting more and more. We have been taught that we will get joy and happiness from the acquisition of more and better toys then our neighbors and if we can not get more then we can be stated by insuring that they... will have less.
This breeds a mentality of entitlement, that we deserve more, that we have the right to what we want and if we do not get it then we should shout and argue because the world, "Owes me!". The truth though is that the world owes you nothing, your rights are words written on a piece of paper by men long since dead. All we really have is each other and a God who has given us a map to living a joyful life.
So now we are left with a question; do we live a life based on self fulfillment? Scratching for everything we can get and stepping on each other so we can die the person on top? Or, do we live a life of service, helping others and taking joy from the knowledge that we are giving as was given to us? One will get you stuff, but the other will bring you joy and peace and in this age I believe the latter is what has true value. I would like to leave you with a quote from a great man named Albert Schweitzer:
Let us take the verse above as an example. Jesus Christ would have us live for others, He came and told us He had come to fulfill the Law we had been under, (the 300+ rules and regulations of the Old Testament) and gave us two. Love God and love others. Period. Both of these rules put others before ourselves. Jesus Himself, the Son of God came and put others before Himself. He came with the purpose of dragging us up from the dirt and setting us in the throne room of God, and I do not feel like I am exaggerating or mixing in hyperbole when I say this. He served, and we are called to do the same. This does not mean to ignore your needs or that you can not live a happy or fulfilling life. God wants you to be joyful and content, but also to help others be the same.
By sharing that joy with others we live happier and more fulfilled lives. Nothing in this world brings me more happiness then knowing I have served in a meaningful way and helped a brother or sister in need. It does not matter if they know it was me, this is not about getting a reward but about sharing love and joy through service. The world on the other hand... well I do not want to get too negative here or make accusations, but it seems that the more we go on the more life becomes about getting more and more. We have been taught that we will get joy and happiness from the acquisition of more and better toys then our neighbors and if we can not get more then we can be stated by insuring that they... will have less.
This breeds a mentality of entitlement, that we deserve more, that we have the right to what we want and if we do not get it then we should shout and argue because the world, "Owes me!". The truth though is that the world owes you nothing, your rights are words written on a piece of paper by men long since dead. All we really have is each other and a God who has given us a map to living a joyful life.
So now we are left with a question; do we live a life based on self fulfillment? Scratching for everything we can get and stepping on each other so we can die the person on top? Or, do we live a life of service, helping others and taking joy from the knowledge that we are giving as was given to us? One will get you stuff, but the other will bring you joy and peace and in this age I believe the latter is what has true value. I would like to leave you with a quote from a great man named Albert Schweitzer:
Those will be happy who are looking for, and are finding, how they can serve.
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