To Serve 
This devotional was written by Kelly McFadden

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'”  Matthew 25:37-40     


Blake Mycoskie has given over 50,000 kids their first pair of shoes.  While traveling in Argentina, Mycoskie noticed that many of the children in the villages he visited were barefoot with cuts on their feet because their families did not have the money to buy them shoes.  Mycoskie wanted to do something about it, so he redesigned the local Argentinean shoe and created a business, Tom’s Shoes, promising that with each shoe he sold, he would donate one pair to a child who does not have shoes to wear. 

What impresses me about Mycoskie is the simplicity of his calling.  He saw a need: Children needed shoes.  Instead of walking away or trying to buy shoes for one village, he made it his cause to help children in Argentina (and now South Africa as well).  He is using his career as a way to do something for someone else, not just himself. 

And he is not alone. There are countless other stories out there of people helping people, whether it is through their careers or through volunteering.  What about you?  These people who are reaching out and serving others are not simply to be applauded by the rest of us, making us think we do not have to be a part of it.  God expects each of us to serve and use the gifts He has given us to help others.  In his epistle, James calls a faith genuine when it serves the orphans and the widows in their distress.

I have heard “to serve” defined simply as to do something for someone else without any expectation in return.  When you truly serve someone and do something for someone else out of love and obedience to the Lord, it shouldn’t even matter if you are thanked, smiled at or spit upon.  Serving like Jesus means you do it whether or not those whom you serve will be thankful.  You do it out of love…just like He did.

Each of us is called to serve those in need.  We are all called to keep our eyes open to needs and to give to others.  We are encouraged over and over in our faith to live Christianity not simply with our mouths, but with our actions as well.  It is not easy to do, but we are to treat all whom we come across as Jesus would have treated them.

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GOING DEEPER:

1. How are you reaching out and serving without expectation?

2. What can you do for someone else today?

FURTHER READING:

Isaiah 58:7; Matthew 25:31-46; James 1:19-28


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