Encouraged to Serve

“God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.” Hebrews 6:10

1 Peter 4:10 says that each of us should use the gifts God has given us to serve one another, “as faithful stewards.” Do you know what a steward is? A steward is a manager. It is someone who takes care of whatever has been entrusted to him. God has given us spiritual gifts. One day we will give an account to God on how we used those gifts or if we used those gifts. God has promised every single one of us who are faithful in our serving that we will be rewarded in heaven.

You may think service is not a big deal, particularly if you think it is a menial thing like changing diapers in the church nursery, or parking a car on a hot summer day, or just handing out a worship guide or church bulletin as people walk into the door. Whatever the task, you can be sure that God sees it, will remember it, and will reward it if what you are doing is done in love.

Most of what we do in life really doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter for today and won’t matter tomorrow. It won’t matter next week, next year, or the next decade. It won’t matter after you are gone. But any service you give to God, and any service you give to others, will matter for all eternity. 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for Him is a waste of time or effort.” There is no work for God that is insignificant or unimportant.

So ask yourself: 1) What is my gift? 2) Where am I using it? 3) Who am I serving?

Everyone knows the word, “Apple,” is not just a fruit. It refers to one of the most successful companies in the history of the world. Whether you are an employee or a customer, the treatment that you get from Apple is unrivaled by almost any other company. If you ever go to work for Apple, whether you are designing computers or sweeping floors, you are given a note that encourages you to “swim in the deep end” and do something big. Here is how the note reads:

“There’s work and there’s your life work. The kind of work that has your fingerprints all over it. The kind of work that you’d never compromise on. That you’d sacrifice a weekend for. You can do that kind of work at Apple. People don’t come here to play it safe. They come here to swim in the deep end. They want their work to add up to something. Something big. Something that couldn’t happen anywhere else. Welcome to Apple.”

Kudos to Apple for that inspiration, but one day Apple will be in the dustpan of history. One day Apple will be on the ashes of everything this world has to offer. But in Christ, you don’t just do something big; you do something bigger than you could do anywhere else. In Christ, you do something that has an eternal impact in transforming lives forever.

Dear Lord, thank You for the gifts and talents You've blessed me with. I want to make sure that I am stewarding well the gifts and resources that You have given me. May Your Holy Spirit continue to remind me that I am not to use these gifts on temporary, worldly goals, but that I should be using them to make an eternal impact. In Jesus' name, amen.