The Life of Discipleship, Part 7: Serving God by Serving Others

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Within the Gospels, Jesus highlighted His own example as the pattern for godly living for His disciples to follow. For example, we read that He challenged His followers to love each other as He had loved them. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34).

Jesus also provided real-life examples for His followers of how He was calling them to live through symbolic acts, such as when He washed His disciples’ feet. In the Gospel of John, as Jesus prepared His disciples for His imminent death, we are told that He took water and a towel, and washed the feet of each disciple, a task that a servant would normally do when guests entered a dwelling (John 13:1–11). After doing so, He taught His disciples the significance of His act:

If I, then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you (John 13:14–15).

One Bible commentary provided the following insights regarding this act:

With his crucifixion imminent, Jesus washes his disciples’ feet as a final proof of his love for them, setting an example of humility and servanthood and signifying the washing away of sins through his death. In a striking demonstration of love for his enemies, Jesus washes all of his disciples’ feet, including those of Judas. Jesus’ act is all the more remarkable, as washing people’s feet was considered to be a task reserved for non-Jewish slaves.—ESV Study Bible¹

Rather than simply instructing His followers verbally to serve one another, Jesus used the act of washing another’s feet to teach them about service to others. He set the example of how we, as Christians, should serve others in love and humility. After having washed His disciples’ feet, Jesus went on to say: “Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:16). If Jesus, their master, was willing to do such lowly actions in service to others, then they should be willing to do so as well.

On another occasion, when His disciples were disputing which of them was to be regarded as the greatest, Jesus once again pointed to His example of servanthood:

Let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves (Luke 22:26–27).

Jesus didn’t just teach His disciples through His words and message, but through His actions He exemplified the discipleship calling to serve others in love. “Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). “The greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:11).

Our service to others is part of fulfilling Jesus’ command to love our neighbors as ourselves. The motive for believers to love and serve our neighbor is that Christ has loved us and given us an example to follow. He lived what He preached, He set the example of loving and serving others, and He calls us to follow in His steps, as the following articles highlight.

Why Jesus Washed His Disciples’ Feet

The story of Jesus kneeling to the floor during the Last Supper to gently wash the feet of his disciples so they could comfortably dine together is one of the most profound pictures of our Savior’s heart of love for us! Jesus cared so very much about the details of his followers' lives! He was willing to get messy to reach, teach, and show undeserved love to his ragtag group of disciples…

Jesus washing the feet of his disciples came with so much significance for both his disciples in this intimate moment and for all Christians who strive to follow Jesus’ example and teachings. This selfless act displayed Jesus’ amazing humility! He took the role of a servant to wash the dusty and dirt-covered feet of his disciples. Jesus was setting an incredible example of what it is to be “Christ-like” through his humble actions. Status, pride, or even dirt did not stop him from rolling up his sleeves to serve the men who had been at his side throughout the duration of his ministry.

Prior to this encounter, the disciples had been fighting amongst themselves trying to determine who was the “greatest” among them (Luke 22:24). Jesus was in a very hands-on way showing them that in his kingdom the last shall be first and the first shall be last (Matthew 20:16). Jesus even prompts his disciples to show the same heart of service for each other (John 13:15). He is clear that servanthood is essential to what it means to be his follower.—Amanda Idleman²

What did Jesus say about serving others?

Jesus modeled selfless service for His disciples as a measure of His greatness and His influence in God’s kingdom. When Jesus’ disciples requested that they receive a position of honor in God’s kingdom, Jesus called them together and said,

“You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42–45)

Jesus emphasizes service as a means of greatness, explains leadership through servanthood, and communicates that His obedience to God will lead Him to sacrifice Himself for others. Jesus is God who came to serve and expects His followers to exhibit His same characteristic of service toward others. …

You don’t serve others to earn a relationship with God, but rather you serve others with care and compassion because you have a relationship with God. You serve those in need out of a love response to God for sending Jesus as a sacrifice for you.

The more time you spend with God in Scripture reading and prayer, the more God shapes your heart to see others as He sees them—with compassion—which should lead you to serve others selflessly. God will glorify Himself through your acts of service that are motivated by your love for God and others. In the New Testament, Mark, Matthew, and Peter recorded how Jesus expects His followers to serve others.

1. Serve those in need through practical ways—feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, show hospitality to strangers, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and imprisoned (Matthew 25:31–40).
   
   
2. Serve others by making disciples—go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey God (Matthew 28:19–20).
   
   
3. Serve others despite difficult life circumstances or diversity within a group—overflow with God-like love for one another, show benevolence toward others, be hospitable to one another, and use your spiritual gifts to serve others (1 Peter 4:8–11).

Followers of Jesus serve others so that God may be glorified in all things through their selfless service modeled by Jesus and in response to Jesus’ love toward them.—Courage for Life³

Following in His Footsteps

Living our faith and following in Jesus’ footsteps means following Jesus’ example of serving and caring for others, and doing so as unto Him. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord. … It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23–24 NIV). We serve God by serving others in His love.

We reach out to those who may be impoverished, afflicted, and in need of a tangible touch of God’s love and hope for the future. We act with compassion toward the weary, troubled, and lost. We are moved by the plights of those who are persecuted, marginalized from society, or forced into inhumane situations against their will. We mourn with those who are suffering loss, tragedy, illness, or hopelessness.

Many people today are skeptical of religion, and with modern technology, people are bombarded with various explanations of the universe, man’s origins, the reason for existence, and faith in a higher being. To many who have grown skeptical, Christianity is just one more religion. In many cases, what helps people to understand the gospel is the tangible example of love they see in Christians helping others and showing kindness, of their compassionate care for the needy, and their work to improve the lives of those who are disadvantaged socially, educationally, and economically. As the passage in James expresses:

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead (James 2:15–17).

For some people, the visible manifestation of our faith through kind and compassionate deeds and charitable and humanitarian works is what will draw them to the gospel and serve as a living example of our love and faith in action. Our caring words and actions in our neighborhood and local community can also be a witness to many and fulfill Jesus’ calling to “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Each of us will encounter people throughout our day who we can be examples of love and service to, as the following article points out.

The person next to you

Have you noticed that our world seems to be full of things that drain the life out of us? There is a distinct lack of hope, joy, peace, and love. So how can you be life-giving and pour those qualities back into the world? It all starts with impacting the person next to you. You can change the world by sharing Christ’s love with one person at a time. One of the best ways to do that is by serving and encouraging others...

There are many ways that you can serve and encourage those around you. So many people cross your path every day: family, friends, neighbors, classmates, teachers, people at church, doctors, dentists, the clerk at the grocery store—the list is endless! Serving others provides an incredible opportunity to share the love of Christ.—Focus on the Family⁴

Living our discipleship means putting our faith into action and reaching out to those the Lord places in our path who are weary and troubled, disadvantaged and in need. Serving those in need is a beautiful way to express our faith—whether it is our neighbor or in our local community or through a charitable organization that is helping people and sharing the gospel in other parts of the world. Every person needs to know they are loved and cared about. God loves and values them, and as Christians, we do as well.

Saint Augustine once said: “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”

Whether it is serving a neighbor or friend in need, volunteering in a hospital or orphanage, visiting the sick or the elderly, visiting someone in prison, when we serve others, “it is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:24 NIV). The recipients of our loving service are receiving a living example of God’s love for them. In responding to people with compassion, understanding their physical and spiritual needs, and being moved to do what we can to improve their lives—both spiritually and practically—we follow the example Jesus set. We walk as Jesus walked. We follow the Master.

Shaped for Service

Whenever you serve others in any way, you are actually serving God. God shaped you to serve him. The Bible says, “God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing” (Ephesians 2:10 NCV)…

God didn’t put you on this planet just to take up space. No! He put you here to serve him by serving others. And nobody else can be you. If you don’t serve God the way he intended for you to serve him, then the world misses out.

Another name for “good works” is “ministry.” Any time you use your talents and abilities to help somebody else, you are ministering to them. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:10, “God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings” (TLB).…

God wants you to practice here on Earth what you’ll be doing in heaven. In heaven, you’re going to love God and love others, so he wants you to practice now. You’re also going to grow spiritually and serve God in heaven, so he wants you to practice that on Earth too.

Since it’s impossible to serve God directly on Earth, here you serve him by serving other people. In fact, God says that any time you help somebody else, it’s like you’re doing it for him (Matthew 25:40). You serve God when you serve others.—Rick Warren⁵

Thoughts to Ponder

The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless.—Billy Graham

One of the principal rules of [Christianity] is to lose no occasion of serving God. And, since he is invisible to our eyes, we are to serve him in our neighbour; which he receives as if done to himself in person, standing visibly before us.—John Wesley

When you quietly serve a person in need, you are being shaped into the image of Jesus. When you generously give, your heart is being remade into the image of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.—Allen R. Hunt

What the Bible Says

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. … If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:10–11 NIV).

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” (Hebrews 13:16).

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. … Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me’” (Matthew 25:34–40).

A Prayer for Serving Others

Dear God, as I begin my day, I ask for your guidance and strength to help me serve others. Please remind me that every person I encounter is created in your image and deserves to be treated with love and respect. Help me to see the needs of those around me and be willing to step in and help in any way I can. Whether it’s offering a kind word, a listening ear, or a helping hand, please give me the courage and compassion to serve others selflessly.

Lord, you have shown me through your life and teachings that true greatness comes from service. Help me to model my life after your example and put the needs of others before my own. As I go about my day, please give me eyes to see the lonely, the hurting, and the marginalized. Help me to reach out to them in love and show them that they are not forgotten. Remind me that every act of service, no matter how small, can make a big difference in someone’s life. Whether it’s lending a hand to a neighbor or volunteering at a local charity, please help me to be a channel of your love and grace to those around me. … In Jesus’ name, Amen.⁶