Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. – Matthew 20:26

Our little church in Salem has taught me so much since our first service on January 1.  Notice that word . . . service.  When we go to restaurants, we want good service.  When the pastor preaches well and the worship team plays well, we say, “That was a great service!”  I’ve noticed that sometimes I leave church on a seriously spiritual high and feel so good about it.

This past week was just like that . . . I thought, “this was a really good service.”  Then, I talked to some of my flock.  They had really been going through a tough spell the past couple of weeks.  Sure, I messaged them, and even called once or twice . . . but I wasn’t there for them.  I certainly in no sense of the word served them.  For seven months now, I’ve been providing a service, but I haven’t been serving.

Even with these WMD’s . . . what am I doing?  I’m basically providing a service.  I like to think I’m doing it for others, but I feel like writing these things for the past decade or so has really helped keep me grounded.  It is like a weekly checkup on my soul where I just do an honest assessment of where I stack up as a follower of Jesus, who I say is my Savior and my Lord.  I tend to really enjoy that savior part, but not so much the Lord part.  For the most part, Adam does what Adam wants to do.  If I had to grade myself, I give myself a B for providing service, but I fail at being a servant.  It is so easy to look the part once a week for an hour or two at church, but am I being the church?

I’m not looking for comments that tell me I’m being too hard on myself.  I’m just saying that we all need to give a long think session into what it looks like to serve others.  According to the verse I used, it is the ticket to becoming great.  I want to get this right starting now.  I love providing service for the Lord at work, “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord!” (Colossians 3:23).  I love providing church services, “Serve the Lord with gladness, come before His presence with singing.”  (Psalm 100:2).  

I’m just painfully aware that when I’m done providing service, I don’t really serve.

Lord, with how much ever time I’ve got left, I want to spend the rest of my days serving.  Instead of sending a quick text message, I want to go sit with them, read the word, and pray out loud.  I generally don’t do it.  The only excuse that I have is that I’m spending my time doing completely useless things with zero eternal value.  I love staying full of You!  I love spiritual highs when You are just all over me, but it is past time to change my focus and pour out some overflow into empty hearts . . . of which there is no shortage.  Help me get this right, Lord.  I love You!  Amen!