Day 39: God Inspired Servanthood

To Serve:
• to render obedience or homage to God
• to be useful or of service
• to provide with a regular or continuous supply of something
• to act as a host or hostess in offering (a person) a portion of food or drink
• to gratify
• to go through a term of service; do duty as a soldier, sailor, senator, juror, etc.

When I was a kid, I remember our family always being the last ones to leave an event at church. The reason for that is because our family was always there to put away the tables and chairs. For a kid this is a lot of fun because you get to see parts of a building that you never would see normally, and everyone who was left to "serve" was in a good mood, relaxed, and joking around to make the work easier. Even more importantly there was a lot of discussion about the message of the event, and I listened to the adults sharing their feelings and personal experiences related to the topic. They are still very vivid memories that I have today of those times. This started the formation of what it meant to serve – it was a willingness to do what needed to be done and sharing it with friends.

As I grew older, that willingness never left me; it just became fine tuned. I would watch other Christian men and women step out in faith and "be there" when it was needed. I learned what my "passion" was and what made my heart swell when I was involved with it.

Greenridge taught me about my "spiritual gifts" in the 401 class, and this allowed me to make wise decisions in the events or positions that I volunteered for. This class also allowed me to see that other people can serve me… I don't have to do it all.

Serving brings people together and keeps relationships growing. I always watch for the "God" inspired moments when I serve, it is a true pleasure to wait and be in the moment when they arrive. I write these down on a list in my Bible so that when I am unable to lift my eyes, I can be reminded of when God was directly involved in my life.

Start with prayer and communication with God before you decide where he would like you to serve. However, watch out for Satan and his desire to "mess" with your service work. The excuses are quick and swift and easy to listen to: I don't have time. It is too much work. I feel inadequate. You want me to do WHAT? That is why I start with prayer and ask for guidance and bring God into it. For me, the ultimate goal is to honor him so that people can see the hands and feet of Jesus. How can serving fail when God is in the middle of it.

I may not be an author, but I have a lot of "God" stories about my service work. Go ahead and start your list to look at and share.

~Carolyn Corazza