How Can I Serve You?

Do you ever think about asking others, "How can I serve you?" Maybe if that's what you do for a living. Serve, I mean. Food and other stuff. But what would happen if all of us (yes, that means you and me) who call ourselves Christ followers would start our conversations with that question? What kind of impact would we make in a lost and dying world?

Matthew 20:28 says, "...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." That is the ultimate walking out of the question, "How can I serve you?" Ponder that for a bit. As He served, He "gave" His life. He willingly laid it down, knowing that many would reject His gift, and consequently His life, but He gave anyway.

We are called to be more like Him as we move along our journey of faith. But are those nice words that we speak in our Christian-ese language, saying the appropriate things for the appropriate moment, so that all things in our lives can appear just so? What is God calling us to do, calling me to do, calling you to do, that will require us to lay down our lives for Him? Are we really willing to "give" our lives as a ransom for many, even if it means laying down our comforts, our preconceived notions, our agendas, and maybe even "our" dreams, in order to help others along their paths toward Christ. I might even be willing to give my life for those I love, willing to put myself out for those in my inner circle, but am I excited about putting myself aside, paying a price (that's what ransom really means), for the purpose of helping others find freedom?

So, as I think about the question, "How can I serve you?" in this light, does that change my willingness to be obedient. As you ponder that thought, are you willing to be obedient and give your life, all of it, for the freedom of others?

What would happen if we were to make a conscious decision to ask every person we come in contact with, "How can I serve you?", and mean it?

Face-to-face,
Cindy