Romans 12:3 “For by the grace given me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly then he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to measure of faith that God has assigned.”
What a gentle, yet firm reminder to all those who serve God in their lives. In our human nature, it’s so easy to feel proud or boastful in exercising the gifts God has given us. However to do so is to forget that we have been equipped by God to serve Him so we have no right to boast. It goes hand in hand with our salvation through our faith in Christ alone. It is a result of God’s work that we gain salvation and by no works on our behalf so that we may not boast or proudly display our life over someone else’s.
To serve God and others is a privilege we should all cherish and never take for granted. It is also important to serve with the right motives. It’s easy to serve with our own interests or agendas at heart. I was reminded yesterday that leadership is about serving others, not primarily exercising authority. I love John Maxwell’s quote “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”. If you want to know if you have the gift of leadership, simply look behind you and see who’s following. Servanthood is at the centre of the love we are to exercise towards God and to those around us. This is even more so when we are in positions of leadership as we seek to build the church in its maturity and faithfulness towards God.
The irony of it is that God will raise the humble and humble the proud. Humility is like fertile soil for the seeds of God’s gifts to germinate and grow within our lives. As soon as we take any credit for them, we can not expect God to bless and use us. We are robbing God of His glory and those around us of our service.
So let’s never forget the privilege it is to serve God and others. It doesn’t matter if it’s greeting people at the door, quietly doing admin work out of the public spotlight, or leading worship services. We all have an important role to play in accordance with the gifting that God has given us. Let’s value and cherish other’s roles as we work together in humbly serving God in the church by leading people to Christ and maturing them in their faith.
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