Whom Are You Really Serving?

The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.

Genesis 18:1-10

Abraham had the remarkable privilege of welcoming the Lord himself and two angels into his home one day. When he first looked up, he simply saw three men. At what point he realized they were more than ordinary travelers, the Bible text does not say. But Abraham did not wait to find out whether they were important enough to serve. He hurried to welcome them, prepared food, and cared for their needs.

That is the calling of every believer. We serve because God has first served us. Jesus had every right to make demands on the world. Instead, he gave himself to us. He carried our guilt, suffered our punishment, and rose to give us forgiveness, peace, and eternal hope. Grace means that the King became a servant for us.

Now he gives ordinary acts of . . . . service extraordinary meaning. Jesus taught, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Some service comes easily. The need is obvious, and the person is grateful. Other service is difficult. The person may test our patience, or the sacrifice may be greater than we expected. Christian service does not depend on whether the recipient seems deserving. We serve our neighbor because, through that neighbor, we are serving our Lord.

Martin Luther preached in one of his sermons: “But know that to serve God is nothing else than to serve your neighbor and do good to him in love, be it a child, wife, servant, enemy, friend; without making any difference, whoever needs your help in body or soul, and wherever you can help in temporal or spiritual matters.”

Your home, workplace, church, and community are filled with opportunities to serve the King. Every task done in faith and love becomes something holy because of the generous God you are really serving.