Serve God by Serving Others

In review of Ephesians 2:10 it says, ”God . . . has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others” (TLB).

Today’s verse comes from Ephesians 2:8-10 where Paul explains my true identity in Christ. In verse 10 he says, It is God himself who has made us and he has given us new lives from Christ Jesus; this is something that he planned long ago, such that we can spend our lives helping others.

I became His child through his unmerited grace, and this was not a result of any effort, ability, or act of service on my part. Therefore out of gratitude for this free gift, It is my responsibility to help and serve others with kindness, love, and gentleness. While there is no work or action I can take that will help me obtain salvation, God's intent is that my salvation result in acts of service. For I was not saved merely for my own benefit, but rather to serve Christ and build up His church. I am God's unique masterpiece. My salvation is something only God can do. It is his powerful, creative work within me.

God did not put me on Earth just to live for myself. He wants to use me to help make the world a better place! If I’m not fulfilling my purpose, then I’m missing the whole point of life.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “God . . . has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others” (TLB).

There’s a word for this: ministry. Every Christ follower is a minister. Not every Christ follower is a pastor, but every Christ follower is to be a minister. That means I use my talents and gifts to make a contribution in life, to be a giver, not a taker.

The Bible uses a lot of “one another” phrases such as: “Love one another.” “Care for one another.” “Pray for one another.” “Encourage one another.” “Help one another.” “Counsel one another.” and “Support one another.” And the list goes. It is the mutual ministry of every believer in the family of God to every other believer in the family of God. That’s the way God meant for it to be.

Serving God by serving others is not always easy. There will be times when I get discouraged. So when discouragement comes, I can remember two things.

First, remember that I’m going to receive a reward that’s going to go on for eternity. The Bible says that God “will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers” (Hebrews 6:10 NLT). I’ll one day be rewarded in heaven.

Second, I can remember that God uses every little thing. Nothing is insignificant when I serve God. None of it is in vain. “Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord’s service is ever useless” (1 Corinthians 15:58 GNT).

Bottom Line:

It is God who makes us. He gives us a new life from Christ. It's is all part of his plan.

What this means to me:

God has made me what I am, and through my union with Christ, he has created me for a life of good deeds and services, which he had planned for me long ago.

In summary, God has made me and given me a new life from Christ such that I can now spend my life making a difference in others lives by helping them. Out of my gratitude for his unmerited grace, I help and serve with kindness, love and gentleness. After all, I'm not here for my own benefit, but rather to serve Christ and build his church. I am to make the world a better place. If I don't then I'm missing the whole point of life. If I ever get discouraged, remember that I will ultimately receive a reward in eternity and God will use everything I do.