“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:1-4)
How can we be servants of the Lord on our jobs, and in our families, relationships and personal lives? What role if any does a vacation or leisure time have in serving the Lord? How should we be spending we spend our time and money as servants of the Lord?
Paul exhorted his brethren to righteousness so that their lives would be harmonious and glorifying to the Lord. Paul maintained that we grow in righteousness and harmony by emulating the example of Jesus in every aspect of our lives. We are called to demonstrate our salvation by putting put off self-indulgence, not demanding privileges or rights for self. Our ultimate concern is for others, not self. We serve God by serving others. In this way we, like Paul, become offerings that please God.
Now in the process of serving others we will, like Paul, suffer and endure deprivation and loss so that God’s Kingdom may flourish. And we are to do this without complaint! This is all part of the process of dying to self and living for God. In our self-centered world we might not like this idea of service to others at all. We fear that other people will use and manipulate us, that they will take advantage of us. We are afraid to lose what we think we need or what we think is our right and privilege: we want what everybody else has. Yet as servants we lose this fear because we realize that we are not in control of our lives: the Lord is. He uses us as He sees fit while our purpose in life is to obey totally and completely. Only by accepting this call will we find true peace and joy.