August 30, 2023 | Martin Luther – Day 22

 

“We should learn well how to please Christ. We do please Him by dedicating our entire life with all possible diligence solely to the service of our neighbor.”

Martin Luther

 

 

 

To Martin Luther, all of life was to be spent as a servant. Anything else fell short of God’s calling on our lives. Is this true? Should we spend each day in service to others? Let’s check the textbook.

 

Galatians 6:2 – “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

 

Romans 12:10 – “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:11 – “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up.”

 

And Finally,

Galatians 5:14 – “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

 

 

God created us to serve and protect one another. Before sin entered the world, this took little effort. But with sin came selfishness and greed. Now serving one’s neighbor has become a struggle because service to others is seen by many as weakness and self-gratification a sign of strength.

 

 

When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus said this, “The most important is, ‘Hear, o Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind and with all of your strength.’ The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

 

 

He included both commandments as one because to serve one’s neighbor is to serve God. They are intertwined forever to go hand in hand. In fact, there is no better way to serve God than to serve His creation. “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27).

 

 

Today, find ways to serve others and then start to make it a habit. Be a servant outside the church building by volunteering a bit of your time for the benefit of others. Make all of your life a ministry unto God.

 

 

Our prayer: Heavenly Father forgive us for thinking of ourselves before we do others. Give us a servant’s heart and lead us to opportunities to care for others. Amen.