Serving is the key (8/27/08)

Gal.5:13 tells us to “serve one another in love,” and Eph.6:7 adds to that reminding us of our motivation to serve, saying, “serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.” 1 Peter 4:10 tells believers to use whatever gifts they’ve been given to serve each other and 1 Peter 5:2 encourages us to be eager to serve. What’s so big about serving? I think serving is God’s method for preserving passion. That is specifically mentioned in Rom.12:11, which states, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” Remember that the context of that verse is v.10 which tells us to “be devoted to one another in brotherly love.” I’ve been realizing that this verse holds one of those precious life keys: serving is the key to passion. Both for God and for my brothers, sisters and neighbors. I have a theory of sorts and it goes like this: one of the main reasons for the giddy, head over heels, exploding with joy context of dating relationships early on is not because of inexplicable infatuation, but instead, because at that stage in a relationship each of the people involved are focussed on serving the other. Think about all you did to serve your spouse when you were first dating and how many of those acts of service likely tapered off as the relationship progressed. I think the experts have it wrong here, when they talk about the fervent passion in a relationship naturally subsiding. I think that passion is less a result of the beginning of a relationship and more the result of what you did to serve each other when that relationship began. So here’s the key, both in your relationship with God and in your relationships with others (including your spouse), as you serve, you will become passionate about loving each other.