October Read: "Improving Your Serve"

As a believer in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross alone for my salvation I bear the title “Christian,” which literally means “Christ follower.” This title also declares where my allegiance lies. And as a “Christ follower” it implies that I am following Jesus so that I can be like Him. That is the whole point in following someone; it is to learn everything about them so we can imitate them. As a Christian, I want to imitate Christ in everything I do.

One of the ways I must be like Christ is to serve as Christ served. “For even 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; ESV). It is this verse which is the whole foundation in Chuck Swindoll’s book, “Improving Your Serve.” In it Swindoll talks about “The Art of Unselfish Living.” Did you catch that? Living as a servant requires me to live unselfishly—and it is an art which much be mastered. When I measure my servitude against Christ I see I fall miserably short.

This book takes you through the nitty-gritty of what it takes to be a servant like Jesus Christ. Maybe the most frightening part of this entire book is the chapters called “The Perils of a Servant” and “The Consequences of Serving.” These two chapters show that just because you are serving like Jesus does not mean that everything in life will be perfect. In fact, they will probably be just the opposite. There are actually some dark sides to service that include suffering, affliction, confusion, persecution, and rejection. Oh boy! Sign me up! But there are also rewards in serving like Jesus Christ. We must remember that these rewards are very real, although they may never be seen or remembered by others. The point is that God is the One Who sees and remembers and rewards. And that’s all that truly should matter, because a Christian who is serving, is serving Christ for Christ’s sake. We do not do it to be noticed, lauded, or remembered.

After reading this book I am more encouraged than ever to become more like Jesus in this way. What better reward for service than an eternal one? What better praise than coming from the Lord Himself? I want to commit to a life of service so that one day I can hear those precious words from Jesus Himself: “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).