Christian service

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One would only need to spend a few years at any church to see the word "service" being used. Christian service is something that almost every Christian preacher talks about. Not only the preacher, even the people at church remind each other to serve.

I must admit that I get annoyed by the "call for service" emails and reminders that we receive from church. Many a times, they are sent with Bible verses as if to remind people, "See. You must serve. God expects you to do it". 

There's nothing wrong with service. In fact, it is one of the most tangible ways to see love, empathy and compassion in action. Without service, our lives tend to become insular. We and our kids grow up with this notion that the world revolves around us. It is equally true that if the church doesn't find enough people to serve, the few people who do serve get worn out or become self-righteous or both. The church then dies this slow death because no one seems to care anymore. 

The problem with service is when we try to make people serve by making them feel guilty or putting fear in their hearts. The service then becomes about meeting someone else's expectation rather than doing something that should have been an expression of love towards God and people. People also pat themselves on the back about it, as if God now approves of them more because they serve. We can make it a comparison game, where we expect people to serve in the way we serve or we look for visible signs of service and overlook parts of obscure service. 

Service should have been a joyful thing to do. Instead, it becomes a burden and no one can sustain that kind of burden even if they start off doing it with the right intent. 

Service can take center stage in a person's life, where it replaces communion with God. Like, Martha who chose to serve vs Mary who sat at Jesus' feet listening to Him. Both of them were valuable, but Jesus reminded us that Mary had chosen a better thing. Not because, he expects us to sit around doing nothing. But because, perhaps he was reminding us that the only way to make our service "right", was in bringing our focus to the One who is right. 

As I've grown to understand the fullness of God's love, His acceptance and grace - I'm increasingly questioning my motivation. 

Are we motivated by fear, guilt, personal gain or obligation? Is it because of a desire to be accepted, to be in control or want to be noticed? 

Our only motive should be in doing what God prompted us to do and want to please Him. When  God leads us to do something, we feel a sense of peace about it. The motivation is then entirely out of love - having experienced God's love to want to extend some of it to others. 

For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. -  Galatians 1:10

What then, if we look at our lives and see no visible fruit? Should we immerse ourselves in service hoping that our works will strengthen our faith? Maybe. I do not know. I see it all around me, but I also see the negativity and baggage this kind of service brings.

"Delight in divine service is a token of acceptance. Those who serve God with a sad countenance because they do what is unpleasant to them , are not serving Him at all. They bring a form of loyalty, but the life is absent. Our God requires no slaves to the throne of grace. The obedience that is not voluntary is not obedience, for the Lord looks at the heart and sees that we serve him from force, and not because we love Him. Cheerfulness is the support of our strength; in the joy of the Lord, are we strong." - Charles Spurgeon.

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