[This is Friday, the last day of the arts camp. I am elated with how smoothly camp has gone so far and I’m looking forward to the activities and final performance today. I have been riding on adrenaline and joy this week. It will feel very strange to not leave home at 7:15 a.m. Saturday and, instead, to return to Mom Taxi duty and the pile of laundry that grew while our power was out this week. I am looking forward to week of rest next week. But I would never, ever trade away the events, conversations, and impact of this camp. The faces…the smiles… their friendships… their energy and enthusiasm….and so much more. It’s been a very strenuous week, but so worth it. I keep hearing Rita Springer’s song “Worth It All,” and I know that God is smiling on this camp. Thank you for your prayers for me and for the camp.]
If you serve God you are obedient to him.
If you serve others you are obedient to God.
To serve others as Jesus served us means having a spirit of humility, compassion, and selflessness. Jesus’ service was characterized by love without boundaries—he healed the sick, fed the hungry, and comforted the broken-hearted without seeking recognition or status. Similarly, we can serve by seeing the needs of others and responding with kindness and empathy. This could mean volunteering our time and resources to help those less fortunate, offering a listening ear to someone in distress, or simply showing forgiveness and understanding in our everyday interactions. Ultimately, serving others in the way Jesus did means putting their needs before our own.
“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28 NIV)
This verse highlights Jesus’ ultimate purpose on Earth—to serve rather than to be served. It challenges us to follow his example by prioritizing service and self-sacrifice in our own lives, by mirroring his unconditional love and compassion towards others. When we serve others we don’t just give them our leftover time or attention or money. We put their needs above our own. We give them our best efforts.
“Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort], as [something done] for the Lord and not for humans. (Colossians 3:23 AMP(alt))
God,
Tune our hearts to you, so we obey, love, and serve you as we serve others, we ask in Jesus’s name, AMEN.