Being of Service

Being of Service

A few short weeks ago several we began serving others at Nashville Rescue Mission. Our service has escalated very quickly in that we have gone from a couple of people serving in a limited capacity to several people serving in a multitude of ways. It seems that once a path is illuminated by the Holy Spirit things can move rather quickly.

Christ teaches us to always serve others and He delivers a “new commandment” just before His hour arrives. In John 13:34 (NKJV) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. Why does Jesus wait until mere moments before His hour arrives to deliver this commandment? It doesn’t really matter, just interesting timing. 

We serve one another and love another in a variety of ways. The goal is to always serve.

Yesterday there was a meeting of men that discussed Steps 1,2 and 3 of AA.

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3.  Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over the care of God as we understood Him.

Without this foundation (simply replace the word “alcohol” with “sin” and see if that applies to your situation) it is impossible to serve others, to know God and to realize how broken our world is, especially ourselves. Our ego, or false pride, will continually tell us we are all we need to manage our lives. Bill W, co-founder of AA, actually stated that if a person could not get a grasp on these Steps they should reconsider and “throw the book in the trash”.

We serve the lest of these. Washing the feet of those who’s lives have broken to the point of “hitting rock bottom” or as we have seen described in other parts of the Bible, the lepers – the unwashed, the unclean or the people society doesn’t want to be around. These are the people we serve, love and lift up to God.

John 13 NKJV

3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God,
4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself.
5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”
7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”
8 Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”
10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”
11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”
12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?
13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.
16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.
17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.