“Serve wholeheartedly; as if you were serving the Lord, not people,”
What does it mean exactly, to serve?
1. to act as a servant.
2. to wait on table, as a waiter.
3. to offer or have a meal or refreshments available, as for patrons or guests: Come early, we're serving at six.
4. to offer or distribute a portion or portions of food or a beverage, as a host or hostess: It was her turn to serve at the faculty tea.
5. to render assistance; be of use; help.
6. to go through a term of service; do duty as a soldier, sailor, senator, juror, etc.
7. to have definite use: This cup will serve as a sugar bowl.
8. to answer the purpose: That will serve to explain my actions.
9. to be favorable, suitable, or convenient, as weather or time.
10. Ecclesiastical . to act as a server.
That’s quite a variety of definitions for serving, but they all share a common theme; assisting others, helping others, laboring for others, attending to others’ needs, and more. Notice something similar in all of those synonyms? It is all about others, not ourselves. It is a time of being selfless.
It brings me to ask you a question: how are you serving others? Do you have a smile on your face? Are you joyous? Are you anxious to get the task completed? Or even aggravated that you’re even in this position, believing that you should be the one served? We all know the truth about ourselves. It is far too easy to put on a mask and feign pleasure at giving others what they need instead of what we want.
In the Bible, we read about Jacob serving Laban for fourteen years so he could marry Rachel, God decreeing that Jacob would serve Esau, how it was a huge honor to serve God as priests in His temples, and many more similar stories. Serving is a common theme in the Good Book. And it is intentional, because even Jesus came to serve mankind. Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”. Jesus led by example, even up to His death. The night before He knew He would die on the cross, He knelt on His knees and washed His disciplines’ feet. Then the ultimate sacrifice was made with His final breath. He could have easily decided to be selfish, to refuse the burden of our sins, but instead He chose to serve us, to help us enter His Father’s kingdom by dying for in our stead.
What does this mean for us as Christians? We all could take a lesson in serving, myself included. How have you served today? Or should the question be; have you served yet today? If you have, great! What was your demeanor? This is where many of us are flawed, for we don’t often consider our attitudes when serving others. Now think back to the verse that this posting began with: serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the Lord, not people. Now the people you’ve served today, what if it was the Lord in their place? Would you employ the same posture, facial expressions and tone? Or would you stand more erect, smile broadly and sound upbeat? If you admit that you would have probably changed your disposition, then this is where we can make improvements!
The challenge of this blog is this: I want you to go forth and serve as if you’re serving the Lord, instead of the person you’re looking at or even talking with over the phone. One might not notice any difference, but the other person might! Especially if it’s somebody who hasn’t had a kind word all day, or a person who’s extremely frustrated and wants a break in his or her daily grind. Here is your chance to make that difference for that person! Remember, ultimately we are not serving them; we are serving God. By honoring others, we are honoring Him.
I felt that this was an important issue to discuss, in addition to food, especially since serving is such an integral aspect of cooking. We labor over how to plate the meals, how to make it taste so the eater will moan with pleasure, If we chose not to do this, we are denying others and ourselves the whole meaning of being nourished. It is not only biological, but socially as well.
