Biblical Servant Hood -Part 3- Serving With Purpose

  "A natural and understandable hesitancy accompanies any serious discussion of service. The hesitancy is prudent since it is wise to count the cost before plunging headlong into any Discipline. We experience a fear that comes out something like this: "If I do that, people will take advantage of me; they will walk all over me." -Richard Foster

 "Right here we must see the difference between choosing to serve and choosing to be a servant. When we chose to serve, we are still in charge. We decide whom we will serve and when we will serve. And if we are in charge, we will worry a great deal about anyone stepping on us, or that are taking charge over us. But when we choose to be a servant, we give up the right to be in charge. There is great freedom in this. If we voluntarily choose to be taken advantage of, then we cannot be manipulated. When we choose to be a servant, we surrender the right to decide when we will serve. We become available and vulnerable.    unknown

There is a difference in being a servant and choosing to serve.  We must not pick and choose, but instead let God lead us in our acts.  But I do not believe that by being a servant, we should line up to voluntarily to be taken advantage of(more on this concept in part 4).  Our serving must be with purpose.  We need to hear God’s call in every area and in everything we do.  Yes, we surrender all our rights to choose what we do and when we do it, but we need to make sure it is God, and not guilt that is driving us to serve.

I’ve seen countless members of the church fall away because of pure exhaustion, feeling like they must answer EVERY call they receive.  This is not purposed servant hood, smart serving, or required by God.  We need to remember that we must rest and God expects it.

Rom 15:1-3 As for us who are strong, our duty is to bear with the weaknesses of those who are not strong, and not seek our own pleasure. Let each of us endeavor to please his fellow Christian, aiming at a blessing calculated to build him up. For even the Christ did not seek His own pleasure...

Gal 5:13...But through love be servants of one another.

Gal 6:9-10 Let us not grow tired of doing good, for, unless we throw in our hand, the ultimate harvest is assured. Let us then do good to all men as opportunity offers, especially to those who belong to the Christian household.

Here in Romans it even says we must be calculated, to make sure that everything we do is for building up others.  We are not aimlessly serving at every whim, but we are serving to build each other's strength and spirits.  We will undoubtedly become tired, we are spiritual creatures with physical limits, but if at the point of exhaustion we throw in the towel, then all the work we have done is lost, and you will not see the rewards for all the hard work you have already exerted.  That is why we are serving each other and why it is so important that we do.  We need to be willing to help out the tired, to encourage and strengthen. 

In Church bodies it is common that a small percentage of people do all of the work.  This will make for tired workers, who can easily become burnt out and may even begin to serve out of obligation instead of love.  If all of us began to serve as Christ as instructed, just imagine how much more we could accomplish, and we would never tire!