Love in Action

I loved reading this devotional today after hearing the Atkins' report about Mexico at church this morning. It also reminds me of the ministry of Young Life that your parents have been a part of for many years.  Young Life seeks to embody the life of Christ in reaching out to kids, and some have called this being “Jesus with skin on.”  May be Jesus with skin on today and put some love into action, Liam....  

By: Mycah Hunter

A reading from Matthew 20:20-28, A Mother’s Request

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

Being a servant means putting someone else’s needs before your own wants and desires. Simply put, serving others is love in action.

Love is not just a warm fuzzy feeling. Love is a verb. It does stuff. Being an intentional and loving servant means becoming the hands and feet of Jesus here on Earth. It’s seeing a need and doing something about it instead of waiting for someone else to do the job. It’s cheerfully giving our time, talents, and resources in order to bless someone else without expecting anything in return.

In his book, A Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren sheds light on becoming a servant: “We serve God by serving others. In our self-serving culture with its ‘me-first’ mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept. Jesus, however, measured greatness in terms of service, not status. . . . God shaped you for service, not for self-centeredness.”

While it may not be easy and might feel completely out of our comfort zone, God calls us to be a friend to the friendless and to love the unlovable. He calls us to love with a great love and to serve Him by serving others. In Christ’s Kingdom, greatness is found in lovingly serving others. Jesus was the greatest example of a servant, humbling himself and dying on the cross so that we could have eternal life.

Prayer: God, thank You for Jesus, who took the nature of a servant, humbled himself, and became obedient to death on the cross. I pray that You would transform my heart to be a servant heart. Please help me to sacrifice my own personal desires so that I can be a blessing to others and point them towards You.

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