How Do You Serve?

I was working in my church VBS last week. It was so much fun! The kids were adorable, the messages were great, and the other workers were so much fun to work with! The thing I noticed- hopefully many people noticed, was that all the workers had such good attitudes. When people asked for volunteers, many teens automatically responded. When they were given a job, they smiled and did what they were told with amazing attitudes. Everyone was friendly and smiley...and just awesome to work with.

How are we serving? Often when we are asked to do something difficult, we tend to complain or have a bad attitude. But is that really serving? Serving is doing something for someone with a good attitude; without seeking anything in return. The next time you are tempted to complain when you are serving, think about this story taken out of Luke 1:26-38

"In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!" Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her."

Just think. Mary was just a young teenage girl who was unmarried and pregnant. She was already rejected by people, but she trusted God and served Him anyways. That must have been hard for her! Yet she let God know that she would serve Him in whatever way He wanted her to. She put God's glory ahead of her own convenience, and had a good attitude.

So now I ask you, how do you serve? Are you serving? What is your attitude like? Next time you are serving, be encouraged that you are doing the right thing if you have a right attitude. If not, think about Mary and her service. Put God's glory ahead of your own convenience.

Love to hear your comments, girls!