Roots: Serving

Serving, huh? Well what is it? Philippians 2:1-10 basically says it all. As Christ followers, we are called to humbly give our time and service to the people surrounding us.

Tuesday night we (Elevate) were given the opportunity to make a meal for a family in our church. A simple act of kindness that was meant to teach us how to serve, ended up being a huge blessing to the family. We started out with a giant, detailed list of tasks to complete and we worked together to get each task completed. It turned out to be a lesson in not only serving, but working together to serve. Oh yeah, and we had a pretty rockin' time doing it!

After cooking the meal, praying over it, and sending two messengers to deliver it, we split into connect groups and talking about serving. In our connect group we focused on that short - but OH so important part of Phil. 2:8 "...he humbled himself..." Sooo, we're called to not only serve, but we have to do it humbly? Yes, HUMBLY. We talked about how hard it is it to humbly serve. We're human, so, naturally, we want the praise that we deserve. BUT, that's not what serving is about. Serving is about doing something for someone, even if you don't get any recognition. Serving is about giving your time to the poor/the weak/those who no one else wants to help. Serving is about helping your church family through hard times. Serving is about giving people just a LITTLE glimpse at the love Christ has shown to us.

Then, a challenge from the lovely Sarah Russo: This week, take the initiative to serve through a random act of kindness. Pay for someones gas, buy a table next to yours meal, even pay for the beach toll of the person behind you...