The Heart of a Servant

“That piety which sanctifies us, and which is a true devotion to God, consists in doing all His will precisely at the time, in the situation and under the circumstances, in which He has placed us.  Perfect devotedness requires, not only that we do the will of God, but that we do it with love.  God would have us serve Him with delight.  It is our hearts that He asks of us.”  Francois De La Mothe Fenelon

As I prepared for my first Sunday School lesson on spiritual gifts, I began studying what the gifts are not.  They are not fruit of the Spirit:  love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, self-control, goodness, faithfulness. These qualities are also gifts of the Holy Spirit, but they are given to and expected of every Christian.  The spiritual gifts are varied, and assigned to specific individuals.

The fruit of the Spirit does, however, tell us the manner in which we are to use our gifts.  Remember how the apostle Paul said:

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” 1 Corinthians 13:1

If we exercise our gifts in ways that are impatient, unloving, rude or unkind, they become worthless.  We must not only have the hands of a servant, we must have the heart of a servant.  This is harder to achieve, but much more satisfying than just going through the motions in order to “do our duty.”

How can we develop the heart of a servant?  I know I can’t do it on my own.  It comes only through surrender to God.  It comes only imperfectly on this side of eternity.  I’m praying today for a servant’s heart.  What about you?

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Serving God with Your Gifts

“My sons, do not be negligent now,  for the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him and serve Him, to minister before Him and to burn incense.”  2 Chronicles 29:11

This was part of my devotional reading a few days ago, and it brings me back to spiritual gifts once again.  The King Hezekiah is speaking here to the priests and Levites.  The previous King Ahaz was wicked and had kept them from performing their duties in the temple;  now Hezekiah intends to set things right.  He reminds them that they have been chosen to serve God and should return to the special tasks they’ve been assigned.

God has chosen us to be his children and to serve Him.  In order to do that, He gave every one of us at least one spiritual gift.  If we don’t use those gifts, we’re not only being negligent, we’re being disobedient and ungrateful to the Giver!  Listen to what the apostle Paul has to say:

“We have different gifts according to the grace given us.  If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it proportion to his faith.  If it is serving, let him serve;  if it is teaching, let him teach;  if it is encouraging, let him encourage;  if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously;  if it is leadership, let him govern diligently;  if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”  Romans 12:6-8

So my question to myself (and to each of our readers) today is this:  how am I using my own spiritual gifts?  A gift that is left unopened is of no use at all.  Don’t be negligent — use your gifts in the service of the one Who gave them.

The Spiritual Gift of Service

Well, ladies you know that this year my focus is on spiritual gifts.  I thought it would be appropriate this month, as we talk about servanthood, to examine the qualities of the spiritual gift of service.  All of us are called to serve, but some have a particular talent for this.  Here’s the definition:

SERVICE: The gift of service is the special ability that God gives to certain

members of the Body of Christ to identify the unmet needs involved in a task

related to God’s work, and to make use of available resources to meet those

needs and help accomplish the desired goals. Contributes: Skills.

You may have this spiritual gift if you:

• Serve behind the scenes wherever needed to support the gifts and ministries of others
• Seek the tangible and practical things to be done and enjoy doing them
• Sense God’s purpose and pleasure in meeting everyday responsibilities
• Attach spiritual value to practical service
• Enjoy knowing that you are freeing up others to do what God has called them to do

You can study more about this gift by looking up the following passages: Romans 12:7 and Ephesians 6:5-9

 People with the gift of service will often tell you, “I didn’t really do anything important.”  That’s not true.  Every ministry depends upon the everyday support of average people like you and me.  Serving in quiet ways builds up the whole body.  How can you serve this week?

 

Live and Learn

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1

Sometimes we use the fact that we are not “gifted” in a particular way as an excuse.  We tell ourselves that we shouldn’t bother to witness, offer acts of service, or show mercy because it isn’t our “gift.”  This is wrong and not Biblical.  Our individual gifts will be our serving “sweet spot” — they will show us where to concentrate our efforts.  That doesn’t mean we can never do things that are outside of our natural comfort zone. Living the Christian life means learning and growing.

One way to do this is observe those with a particular spiritual gift and imitate them.  I have several friends with the gift of hospitality.  I may never be able to match their effectiveness and joy in opening my home to others;  but I can watch and learn.  I can take note of how they try to make their guests comfortable and welcome and I can try to incorporate some of those things into my own life.  I can take some steps in the direction of becoming a more hospitable person.

I have another friend who once talked to be about how she had taken care of her mother when she became elderly and ill.  She said she came to realize that God gave her that opportunity so she could learn to be a better servant.  She has the gift of mercy.  I don’t, but when I faced the same situation with my mother, her words encouraged me and helped me to see unpleasant tasks as an opportunity instead of a chore.

My husband has the gift of teaching.  I don’t.  But I have learned some of his techniques by many years of sitting in his classes.  When I need to step up and lead a Sunday School class, I do not have his poise and natural style of delivery, but I do have the gift of knowledge, and I can work to impart that to others.  In the same way, my husband does not have a natural gift of encouragement, but he has seen me send cards and notes and give hugs, and he reminds himself that sometimes these things are good to do even if it’s not his natural inclination.

In the verse above, the apostle Paul tells the Corinthians to imitate his life, just as he is trying to imitate Christ.  We too should find godly people within our church and strive to imitate them.  Remember the story of the little boy with the small number of loaves and fishes?  Jesus used his small gift to feed 5000!  Give your willing gift, however small, to Christ and he will multiply it and use it to bless others.

A Third Quote on Spiritual Gifts

Gifts + Passion = Ministry

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

The spiritual gifts assessment tool I have been using with our congregation helps people to identify not only their gifts, but also their passions.  When you have a passion for something, you love it, and you love to do it.  It occupies your mind and warms your heart.  Your passion will probably determine how you use your gifts.

My passions are reading and writing.  I always have a book in my hand (according to my family).  I love to tell people about my most recent “great read.”  I love to loan books to people.  I also like to write.  I don’t care if I get paid for my writing, I just enjoy doing it. My most prominent spiritual gift is encouragement.  My passions (reading and writing) + my gift (encouragement) = my ministries (this blog, the Little Free Library).

When you allow your passion to drive your gifts you wind up being a cheerful giver of whatever talent you have to offer.  I don’t blog or donate and lend books to others because it’s a duty, something I must do to earn approval from God or others.  I don’t do these things because the Pastor, or somebody else told me I should. I do them because they give me joy.  I get a charge out of hearing someone else learned and grew through a book I recommended.  My heart is lifted up when a reader shares that a blog post nourished  his or her spiritual life.

Readers, go where your passions and gifts are calling you!  You’ll find yourself becoming a cheerful giver of all the gifts God has first given to you.

 

Gifts for Service

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:10-11

God gave us gifts for a reason — to serve one another.  They are not meant to puff us up, but they are meant to be used.  Whatever our gift, we have a responsibility to use it in ministry.  As this idea went around in my head, I thought about The Servant Song.

Written by Richard Gillard, an Anglican from New Zealand, this song began in 1977 when Richard jotted down v. 3 on a piece of paper. Returning from travels in Britain, Europe and Israel, he found it in his guitar-case. He completed the song, the original first line of vv. 1 and 6 being ‘Brother, let me be your servant.’  It became the most well-known of his compositions.  I hope you will love it as I do.