Growing by serving
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect... Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Romans 12:1-3
Pastor Charles Swindoll closes his radio program, “Insight for Living,” with this quote: “You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving.” Growing in your spiritual life requires that you learn how to serve. You cannot just go and attend seminars or conferences on how to learn how to serve. You learn service by doing. Same is true with your spiritual life. If you just rely on consuming Scripture by reading or listening to Bible teachings and you are not willing to apply what you’ve learned by faith, you will not experience spiritual growth. Growing takes place when you learn, listen, and do what you are told to do. Learn from God’s example on how to serve. “For God so loved the world that He gave...” (John 3:16). God gave so we can have life eternal. Spiritual growth involves personal sacrifice. This is also what the apostle Paul was telling Christians at Rome from the text, “I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.” When you serve someone, the greatest gift that you can give is your self. This means that you are willing to sacrifice resources such as money and time. Money can be replenished but when sacrifice involves time, there is a deeper level of heart attachment to the service being done. You action becomes personal. Growing spiritually takes time and a lifelong journey. Once you realize that serving is worship, you grow in knowing what the will of God is.
Blessings,
