Thoughts on Serving

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Reflection notes for Kids Teaching. I will usually do these reflections before writing the final teaching, tweaking it for the intended audience (tone and grammar). I wait on God to fill me up, and then impart from the overflow.

God’s gifts of grace come in many forms. Each of you has received a gift in order to serve others. You should use it faithfully.

1 Peter 4:10 (NIRV)

It’s a cliche way to start an essay, but for this one, I’m going to the dictionary. The word “serve” has 7 definitions as an intransitive verb,13 as a transitive verb, and 1 as a noun. That doesn’t include the definitions for the tense variations (“serving”, “served”).

{OT: Of course this led me to be sidetracked into searching for the words with the most definitions. For reference’s sake, that word is “set” with 464 definitions, followed by “run” with 396, and “go” with 368. UPDATE: It’s 2022, and the word with the most definitions is now “run”, as per Oxford dictionary, with 645 definitions.}

I got to searching this because I recently had to answer the question of what it means to serve God. Specific to the church context, why does one serve? Is it a requirement of His Kingdom, a prerequisite of Christianity, a marker of “goodness”? Can it be quantified, or qualified? Or does even asking the question diminish it’s worth?

{But then again, when have I ever shied away from pedantry.}

To say that you serve God because you love Him is thematically correct, but still lacking in details. I want an expansion of this definition. You serve because you love, and you love because you serve — get stuck in this loop and languish in mediocrity. Which brings you to edge of ennui, and that is a slippery slope to complacency and loss of identity in Christ.

To say that you serve God because you are obeying His Word also leaves a bit to be desired. As a Christian, we believe that His Word is omnipotent, and His plan is ineffable. But basing your serving merely on this head knowledge places you in a position of blind obedience, mechanical and automated.

Change is an intrinsic part of growth. If you’re not changing, you’re not growing.

Growth is the natural progression of our existence. We are all growing in some way. Physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Our spiritual growth is the most important.

So where does this take us?

The reflection ends here. I had enough material to continue with the teaching.

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