Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these. Mark 12:30-31 NIV

Have you ever heard of a program called Adopt a Highway? Growing up in Kailua Hawaii the Adventist Hospital had a section of highway near my house that was taken care of once a month. My dad was very involved with the efforts from the hospital so once a month I was given the opportunity to go with him. My memories of these mornings are filled with waking up early, it being cold (60 degrees) and of course the reward, donuts. As a kid these 3 things were all it was; however, reflecting back on these regular rhythms of service, it is clear how they shaped my understanding and view of spending time benefiting others. Amazingly God invites us into service, the Bible is full of calls to serve others. The life of service is a life of love for others.

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:34-35

What does it mean to serve others? Well the Bible puts it simply, show them love. I know what you are thinking, that is pretty abstract. Yes that's true but it's also freeing. Service can be helping someone in need, it can be a kind word, it can be time spent or time given. Love is the same way. Think about how you show love to people you care about in your life. It’s not hard to tell when you love someone, it's almost like when you see love you know it. Well when you see true service it will be known. Service is motivated by love, it is also done through love. When a christian takes up the call to serve others it is an act of love.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10

Jesus summed up the commandments into two simple easy to digest bits. The first one is to love others.  In 1 Peter, the apostle urges us to use the gifts we have been given to serve others. He tells us that through this faithful use of our gifts we are stewarding God’s grace. Did you catch that? By using the gifts we are actively sharing God’s grace to people we serve. Did you know that your service has such power? It’s amazing to think that handing a water bottle to someone who is thirsty could help them see God’s grace. It’s wonderful to think that by volunteering to pray publicly we are helping others see God’s grace. It’s so awesome to think that God wants us to show His grace through our acts of service. He has entrusted us to be part of His mission. That's a pretty high calling.

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all." Matthew 9:35

The second part of that easy to chew sandwich that Jesus gave us is to love God. If you are reading this the likelihood of you hearing a sermon or reading a book or even reading a blog on this topic is pretty high, so I won’t try to reinvent the wheel. Instead I want you to see that when God came down and Jesus walked this earth He showed us that service is the most important thing we can do. He told the disciples that to gain anything in the world to come they must give now. The first will be last and the last shall be first, that kind of deal. Now how does this connect to loving God? Here it is, when you love someone you do what they ask. Better yet, when you love someone you love the people they love! It’s that simple, to God service is the best gift. God's desire is for us to show His love to the world through our acts of service by doing so we are showing Him love. 

Here is my challenge for you, the next time you are given the opportunity to serve, take it! God is actively seeking people out who will go for Him. Maybe you are a seasoned volunteer, maybe the next time will be the first time, whatever the case may be, don't waste the opportunity to love God and to love others. Show God's grace through your actions for Him, allow your love for God and others to be seen through the works of your hands and the kind words of your mouth.