“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10
There is no greater example of a true servant than Jesus Christ Himself. And all through His word, He provides us with examples of what servanthood is and those who demonstrated it. He calls us to be servants to others; however, we are to first and foremost serve Him and serve to please Him (Galatians 1:10). And although we are commanded to serve, He reminds us in Galatians 2:16 that we are justified by faith, not by the many works we may do for Him or others. In this month’s reading, we’ll encounter many servants, each exhibiting servanthood in a unique way.
Jeremiah was a prophet and an earnest servant of God. The book of Jeremiah reveals his inner struggle to continue steadfastly in servicing God by being obedient to Him, even in hardship. The prophet Jeremiah was assigned the unenviable task of confronting others of their sin (Jer. 26). And as a servant of God, he obeyed, even when threatened with death and faced with imprisonment (ch. 37).
In the gospel of Luke, we encounter another obedient servant––John the Baptist. His service was to prepare the way for Christ. He was a great example of what a servant should be, taking no credit for what he was doing, and pointing all attention and glory to God. In chapter 5, Jesus begins calling the twelve apostles, who dropped everything they were doing in order to serve Him. How often can we say that we do the same?
Jesus served others His entire life, but most significantly, He served us in His death. Even though He struggled with this requirement God had placed on Him (Mark 14:36), He is obedient to God, even to death on the cross. Although we can never repay Him or be the true servant He was, He has instructed us on how we should serve. Sometimes our service may require suffering (2 Cor. 11:22–33). Second Corinthians 9:7 tells us to be cheerful givers, which I think also applies to serving. We should do it with a cheerful heart, not begrudgingly or selfishly. We are to serve because that’s what is commanded of us, not comparing ourselves with others and how obedient they are or in what ways they serve (2 Cor. 10:12, 17).
In all the serving we do, we are commanded in Exodus to ultimately serve no other God but the Lord our God (23:25). In everything we do, it is to be to His glory. It can become easy to serve other things and people, even serving service itself! But we must remain focused on our ultimate purpose in serving––in obedience to God, to reflect the Holy Spirit, and to glorify Him.
Suggested Reading for May
MAY 1 Jer 22-26
MAY 2 Mark 13-14
MAY 3 2 Cor 4-5
MAY 4 Ex 17-20
MAY 5 2 Sam 5-9
MAY 6 Ps 51-53
MAY 7 Job 35-36
MAY 8 Jer 27-31
MAY 9 Mark 15-16
MAY 10 2 Cor 6-8
MAY 11 Ex 21-24
MAY 12 2 Sam 10-14
MAY 13 Ps 54-56
MAY 14 Job 37-38
MAY 15 Jer 32-36
MAY 16 Luke 1-2
MAY 17 2 Cor 9-10
MAY 18 Ex 25-28
MAY 19 2 Sam 15-19
MAY 20 Ps 57-59
MAY 21 Job 39-40
MAY 22 Jer 37-41
MAY 23 Luke 3-4
MAY 24 2 Cor 11-13
MAY 25 Ex 29-32
MAY 26 2 Sam 20-24
MAY 27 Ps 60-62
MAY 28 Job 41-42
MAY 29 Jer 42-46
MAY 30 Luke 5-6
MAY 31 Gal 1-3
By Lisa Grimenstein
This year’s Bible reading plan was borrowed from Bible-Reading.com. To correspond with the 2009 year, we have included actual dates for your referral. You may choose to use the above site, instead.
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