“Serving others”… that is a very broad subject.  There is so much that could be said, and should be said on this near-inexhaustible subject.

 In December on the Seeking Treasure discussion forum we discussed James 4:17. It brought forth a lot of interesting thoughts.  I thought about that verse all week, but I also thought of another very important verse—1 Corinthians 16:14.

 It says: “Let all your things be done with charity.”  Let everything you do be done with love.  Why is it so important to serve others with love?  This verse was one that my Father had chosen for that week’s “church service.”  It stuck in my mind and kept repeating over and over.

 This verse and the preceding verse are five commandments to Christians; how we are supposed to live our lives and how we are supposed to treat others.

Why is it so important that we should serve others without grudging?

The following is a wonderful excerpt from Streams in the Desert. It wonderfully illustrates how important it is to have a servant’s heart. It is taken from the December 8^th devotional.

"There is an old story of an elderly man who always carried a little can of oil with him everywhere he went, and when he would go through a door that squeaked he would squirt a little oil on the hinges.  If he encountered a gate that was hard to open, he would oil the latch. And so he went through life, lubricating all the difficult places, making it easier for all those who came after him. People called the man eccentric, strange and crazy, but he went steadily on, often refilling his can of oil when it was nearly empty and oiling all the difficult places he found.

 In this world, there are many lives that painfully creak and grate as they go about their daily work. Often it seems that nothing goes right with them and that they need lubricating with the “oil of joy” (Ps. 45:7), gentleness, or thoughtfulness.

  Do you carry your oil can of oil with you? Are you ready with your oil of helpfulness each morning? If you offer your oil to the person nearest you, it may just lubricate the entire day for him.  Your oil of cheerfulness will mean more than you know to someone who is downhearted. Or the oil may be a word of encouragement to a person who is full of despair. Never fail to speak it, for our lives may touch others only once on the road of life, and then our paths may diverge, never to meet again.

 The oil of kindness has worn the sharp, hard edges off many a sin-hardened life and left it soft and pliable, ready to receive the redeeming grace of our Savior. A pleasant word is a bright ray of sunshine on a saddened heart. Therefore, give others the sunshine and tell Jesus the rest.

We cannot know the grief

That men may borrow;

We cannot see the souls

Storm-swept by sorrow;

But love can shine upon the way

Today, tomorrow;

 Let us be kind.

Upon the wheel of pain so many weary lives are broken,

So may our love with tender words be spoken.

Let us be kind."

But what about the times when it is hard to serve, or when it seems like no cares that you are trying to bless and be a blessing? It can be very easy to become discouraged. That is when our strength must come from the Lord.  He will renew our strength, and help us to carry on for Him.