Serving Others - Without Obligation

Show Your marvelous loving kindness by Your right hand. - Psalm 17:7

My service to others should always be motivated by love.

Not love I "muster" up, but genuine love, from the depth of my heart.

In my own efforts, this is hard to do. Practically impossible at times. Especially when I have worked for forty-five minutes preparing a meal for my family, everything finally in place, each drink poured, every condiment in easy reach, and before the fork can touch my lips, "Mom, will you cut off my corn?" or "Can I have bread, too?"

A bit begrudgingly, I rise. My food growing colder by the second.

I serve. But not with "loving kindness". Not with "marvelous" compassion.

But with sass.

Ugh. This is not love. This is love seasoned with guilt. A little extra force as I butter the bread. An exerted huff as I cut the corn off the cob.

"Mommy wants to eat, too, you know."

Charles Spurgeon wrote, "When we give our hearts with our alms, we give well, but we must often plead to a failure in this respect. Not so our Master and our Lord. His favours are always performed with the love of his heart. He does not send to us the cold meat and the broken pieces from the table of his luxury, but he dips our morsel in his own dish, and seasons our provisions with the spices of his fragrant affections. When he puts the golden tokens of his grace into our palms, he accompanies the gift with such a warm pressure of our hand, that the manner of his giving is as precious as the boon itself."

Oh, read that again. I could just cry.

The pressure He applies to our hand as He presents us a gift is a precious as the gift itself.

Oh, Jesus. Let me serve like You.



Serving - without aggravation. Not with exasperation. Nor motivated by duty or obligation.

Lord, let me be motivated by selfless, Christ-centered affection for the recipient. Be it my husband. Be it my children. Or even more difficult right now, my grandmother, whose situation is growing more complex by the day.

Let me die to myself. And love like Jesus.

"It is impossible to doubt the sincerity of Christ's charity, for there is a bleeding heart stamped upon the face of all his benefactions. He giveth liberally and upbraideth not. Not one hint that we are burdensome to him; not one cold look for his poor pensioners; but he rejoices in his mercy, and presses us to his bosom while he is pouring out his life for us." - C. Spurgeon

Let our lives be poured out as an offering, not only to God, but to all those His Sovereignty places in our path.

Lord, give us grace to show "marvelous loving kindness" motivated by affection only your Spirit can give.

Prayer Request: Today my grandmother will undergo back surgery. Pretty major surgery for any 90-year-old person. Please pray for Sweet Ethel today. She has been in so much pain for so long. She's beyond ready to be done with her discomfort. Thank you.

Love you all so.