Loving and Serving

Loving and Serving
John 22: 15-17
Rev. Deborah Rozier

Having served as in the role of leadership for over 30 years plus, I’ve seen many people who serve the Lord for reasons that are sometimes noble, but inadequate to sustain them over the long haul. Some are so-called “laymen” or “laywomen” (although I hate that term), while others are full-time pastors, church workers, or missionaries etc. But they serve the Lord for inadequate reasons.

Sometimes people serve because they want to help advance Christ’s kingdom. That’s a noble, but inadequate reason for serving Christ. Some pastors and Christian serve the Lord because they love studying theology and teaching the Bible accurately. While that is a vital task by itself,  it’s an inadequate reason for serving Christ. Sometimes pastors, leader and others in the church serve because they genuinely want to help people with their problems. Again, that’s a noble, but inadequate reason for serving the Lord. Sometimes people serve because they get a sense of satisfaction from serving. While it’s legitimate to be pleased when God uses you, that’s also an inadequate reason for serving.

But I want to ask the question, “In whose life are you having a spiritual impact?” I pointed out that every member of Christ’s body should be serving Him by helping make disciples. But beneath the question, “Are you serving Christ?” is the more fundamental question, “Why do you serve Him?” What is your motivation for serving? In our text the Lord Jesus drills home to Peter and to us the foundational motive for serving Him?”

Behind that statement are the two great commandments: to love God and to love others. If we love God because of His love and grace toward us, we will serve Him by loving others. So loving Jesus, the eternal Son of God, who gave Himself on the cross to rescue us from God’s judgment, is the essential motive for serving Him. If that motive is not central in your heart, you will burn out or blow out in your service for the Lord.

1. How To Love and Serve Jesus:

• Loving Jesus is at the heart of a relationship with Him.
• Loving Jesus from the heart is the main thing to focus on in your relationship with Him.
•  Loving Jesus from the heart is the result of experiencing His abundant grace.
• Loving Jesus requires that we be restored when we have sinned against Him.
  
  2. If you love Jesus, serve Him by feeding His sheep.

          A. Jesus has a flock, and He wants those who love Him to feed and shepherd His Flock.
          B. Jesus’ sheep belong to Him and are precious to Him because He gave His life for them.
          C. Jesus wants to use every believer to help feed and shepherd His sheep.
          D. Love for Jesus is the foundation for serving His sheep.

Yes, you should love the sheep because Jesus loves them and gave His life for them. But sometimes the sheep aren’t all that lovable. Your love for Jesus must undergird your service to His sheep or you’ll get hurt or disgusted and quit serving. Love for Jesus is what keeps you going when the sheep are ornery or stubborn or disagreeable. I’m not serving the sheep for what they can give me. I’m just a sheep dog, and sheep dogs don’t get much from the sheep, except hassles and manure! In our case, we serve as sheep dogs because we were in the dog pound, headed for extermination, when the Shepherd rescued us and put us into service.

While we want to help the sheep, we serve them because we love the Shepherd and want to please Him. He asks you, “Do you love Me?” If you answer, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love You,” He replies, “Tend to My lambs.”

Prayer: We pray and pledge that we will walk with love. May we be of service to as many as we can in our lives as You called us to be, as is the father’s will. In Jesus Name Amen.