Serving God first means prioritizing our actions and decisions based on His principles. As we do, making God’s Kingdom a priority assures us we may have the whole lot we want to live – clothes, food, and provisions, because “our heavenly Father knows that you simply need them” (Matthew 6:32). And it continues in verse 33 with the promise:
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all this stuff might be given to you as well.”
Serving from a heart stuffed with love for God is intricately linked to obedience, a commitment to sacrificial service, mirroring the selfless love demonstrated by Jesus through obedience: “Whoever desires to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). Following Jesus, leads us to serve.
Jesus didn’t come to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45), as shown by His act of washing the disciple’s feet. This humble gesture, recorded in John chapter 13, verses 1-17, showcases the divine God incarnate, who descended to earth, donned human flesh, and triumphed over sin and death. Remarkably, Jesus, the Master and Teacher, selected to serve His odd, sinful disciples who lacked understanding. Instead of receiving their service, He took on the role of a servant.
It’s price noting that Jesus didn’t select a symbolic yet cleaner a part of their bodies; reasonably, He washed their dusty, smelly feet. This act wasn’t nearly physical cleansing but served as a weighty example of selfless love and repair. In verse 15, Jesus explains,
“I actually have set you an example that it is best to do as I actually have done for you.”
He encourages His followers to like and serve others, even in difficult circumstances. This act of foot washing illustrates a strong lesson: true greatness lies in humble service. As Jesus emphasizes in verses 16-17, no servant is larger than their master, and people who follow this instance might be blessed. Jesus’s act is a timeless reminder of the decision to like and serve others.
Obedience extends beyond mere adherence to commands; it encompasses loving God with a looking for heart, surrendering fully to Him, and willingly serving His Kingdom and purposes. This sacrificial giving on our part is met with a divine promise – the more we give, the more we receive of God’s abundant riches. In this dynamic, we recognize that we will not outgive God, as His blessings overflow in response to our obedience and devotion.
A Final Thought
Paul’s writing to the Ephesian church of Gentile believers who were grafted into the body of Christ (we’re included) recaps these points of wholehearted looking for, surrendering to His will, and serving out of affection and obedience. We will know the sweet presence of Jesus, His glorious riches that change into strength and power in our inner being as He dwells in our hearts and builds maturing faith until we’re stuffed with HIm! Would you join me on this prayer?
“I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being in order that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you simply, being rooted and established in love, could have power, along with all of the Lord’s holy people, to understand how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you could be filled to the measure of all of the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:16-19).
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