You Gotta Serve Somebody
This is the fourteenth, of a hopefully weekly series, that explores faith, religion, and Christianity. The idea is to share with you my faith, issues I am working on, and to promote discussion.
“Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord, But you're gonna have to serve somebody...”
Bob Dylan’s song about service reminds us that our actions may be our own, but they ultimately contribute to something greater.
Typically when I think of the word service the first thing that comes to mind is customer service.
Much of which isn’t any good.
It’s hard to find good help these days.
Another place I hear the word service is in regards to “Church Service” or “Sunday Service”, also known as “Worship Service”.
Think about that.
I don’t go to church, but I wonder about those who do.
Do they appreciate their corporate worship of the Lord?
Do they cherish the ability to publically sing praises to God?
Do they even view their actions as service or are they there to be served?
“It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.” - Deuteronomy 6:13 (ESV)
Typically the act of service is not well esteemed in our culture.
We strive for a life where don’t have to do things ourselves.
We have an economy full of service industry jobs.
Economically speaking, paying and receiving these services is a great way to maximize an individual’s competitive advantage.
It also opens individuals up to a world where they can create and contribute their skills and talents to the world.
The issue is, often times an attitude of superiority is developed in the people paying for the service.
The thought, I suppose, is because money is being exchanged, the service should meet every demand and expectation.
Is this even realistic?
"David loved his master and loved his work so well that he desired to be tied to this service for ever, to be more free to it, but never to go out free from it, preferring bonds to duty far before the greatest liberty to sin." - Matthew Henry
Another issues emerges because many lines of service work are not high income positions.
The service industry is typically full of “blue-collar” positions where people earn their way with hard work, such as manual labor, or some other seemingly menial position that does not require a stunning intellect.
This leads to superiority by disrespecting and degrading people in the service industry because the people receiving the service generally have more money, hence the reason they can afford such service, and can develop a superiority view because they earn more.
Earning more, they have a superiority view that they are smarter or more intelligent.
Which may or may not be true.
The servers may become resentful and disrespectful as a means of coping or “getting back”.
However, whatever side of the equation you find yourself on, and I’ve often been on both, it doesn’t have to be that way.
Instead we can respect one another as human beings and have a shred of humility.
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
The last instance of service that comes to mind may rub many the wrong way.
It is the service to one’s country.
This commitment to serve in this way may be well intended and actually heartfelt, but sometimes it is misguided.
One may end up serving the government more than the people.
And we know, the governments may not always be the most good.
But there are those in government that are serving and upholding what is good.
But in order to do so they have to have a compass and guidance on what is good.
I maintain that in order to do so there must be a standard of right and wrong.
And where do we turn to to know these things?
I would turn to The Holy Bible.
You may ask, Why Is Scripture the Ultimate Standard for Morality and Ethics?
Or perhaps, are there any absolutes?
“Though non-Christians have offered various relativistic definitions of moral “right,” all fall short of an adequate basis for making ethical decisions. Christians define “right” in terms of what God wills. What God wills is rooted in His moral nature. And since His moral nature does not change, it follows that moral obligations flowing from His nature are absolute (they are binding everywhere on everyone).” - Norman L. Geisler
We learn about “What God wills” in the Bible.
But, can we trust the Bible?
Here are two videos to suggest we can.
Can We Trust The Bible Written 2000 Years Ago? Dr. William Lane Craig
Geisler - Is the Bible Reliable?
Here is another question that I have asked:
But, were they successful in getting the facts straight about Jesus of Nazareth?
Lastly, if you are a Christian, are you stuck in Intellectual Neutral?
Once we accept these things, my beloved, let us not forget why we are here.
Let us not only “love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and our neighbor as ourself”, but also seek to serve the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and serve our neighbor as ourself.
Brothers and Sisters, you can make a difference by supporting the Priceless Movement.
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If this relates to you and you are interested in knowing more, please ask someone. Me. My wife. A local pastor. A neighbor you know who is a Christian. But please ask and I guarantee you that they will be excited to tell you more. They will especially appreciate that you asked them so that they are not forcing their beliefs upon you but getting your permission to share. It may even be something they have been praying for.
Lord willing, see you all next Sunday!
Thanks,
@strangerarray
Follow me @strangerarray for more words about topics.
Donations to PayPal.Me/michaelpaine are also welcome because I do accept donations.
Please check out the previous discussions:
- Disparity on Display
- Comfort and Contentment
- Testify
- Praise and Worship
- Reasons to Believe
- Do I have to go?
- In God We Trust
- It’s Hard to Find Good Help These Days
- Breaking the Habit of Self-Destruction
- Nothing Is Ideal
- What Difference Does It Make?
- Saying Grace
- Livin' On A Prayer
I like this. It is about service.
Thanks @mctiller!
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Love the title of this post. And yeah, the invisible divide between those who serve and are being served is very real, though with humility it doesn't need to be.
Thanks @scaredycatguide, the service industry can be a rewarding and respected career. Although people don't always think in these terms, people in other service areas, such as financial services, sales professionals, and even artist, craftsmen, comedians, or musicians all serve their audiences or clients. I think the respect shown to some and not to others would be best helped with a humble heart.