Serve: Like Jesus But Not Like Jesus

My family and I were in Texas for Christmas one year when our boys were younger.

One of our neighbors contacted us that we had an issue at our house. A deer had been struck by a car and was lying right in the entrance to our driveway. That would not have been a big deal and we could have easily handled the issue when we returned from our trip, but Lisa and I thought we had a fairly significant problem.

Our younger son who probably was about five or six years old at the time had an incredibly tender heart and really loved animals. We felt like he might be psychologically scarred if we drive up to the house and have a carcass awaiting our arrival. So, we did what we knew to do at the time…we called Tim.

Tim said for us not to worry about it and he would handle it. And, handle it he did. I have no idea what happened to the deceased deer. All I know is that the remains and any evidence of the event were gone when we got home. I fear for anyone who ate at his home around that time. I think I know where the meat came from.

Tim is one of a kind. He has the biggest servant’s heart. But, you need to be careful in saying anything around him that you might possibly want done in the future because if he hears any hint of a need, he will work to meet that need. Just like Jesus did not come to be served but to serve, Tim wants to serve others around him.

We can learn from Tim. Through our serving others, we can look for opportunities to share what Jesus has done for us.

When we speak of pointing others to Jesus, it may actually cost us something. We may be ostracized by family and friends if we speak of Jesus. We may be laughed at and ridiculed. We may lose favor with some. We may pay a price for trying to reach others.

But, when Jesus was speaking of coming to serve rather than be served, He knew that the price for Him would be more than merely reputation, friendship, or social standing. Jesus came to serve and “to give his life as a ransom for many.” For us, we point people to Jesus. For Him, He carried the cross, took the nails, shed His blood, and paid the price for sin.

If we are going to be Christ-like, we will serve others. But, we will never serve in the same way Jesus did. He took what He did not deserve to give us what we could never earn.

When we are serving, we are helping in ways that might be difficult, might be costly, but will never match how Jesus served us. May we serve like Jesus. But, we’ll never serve like Jesus completely.