The greatest good any one could ever do, is to lift someone else up to a higher level.  When you help others there is nothing else that compares.  The higher you lift others up the higher you go in life.  The more you lift up others in life the more you will be lifted up.  There is something supernatural and powerful that happens when we help others.  Jesus taught this great lesson, called the Golden Rule in Luke 6:31…”Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

Jesus knew that the principle of lifting others up and doing great things for them is one of the greatest things we could do.  God honors the heart that honors others.  Serving others is what life is about.  British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli said,

“The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but to reveal to him his own.”

That is a quote I want to live my life by.  A life that helps others see the potential and purpose within them.  My life has been given to that ever since I was a freshman in high school.  I made a decision in South Carolina at a summer church camp that forever changed me.  I made a commitment one night during a powerful service to give my life to helping others see their purpose, as I had seen mine.  My life changed that night.  I wasn’t perfect, as a matter fact I did a lot of stupid things after that, but I never lost sight of the purpose God had for my life.  To this day I try to live my life in a way that adds value to others by inspiring them to live their created purpose.

There are many ways we can help others in life.  Sometimes it may come through finances.  Sometimes it comes through a helping hand.  Other times it may come through praying for them.  And many times it comes through simply talking to them and encouraging them along their journey.  Serving others takes on many different forms.  Whatever your strength is use it to help others.  Whatever your skills are, use them to help others.  The more you help and serve others through your strengths the more you will develop your strengths.  So however you are wired and gifted use it to serve others.  No matter how you serve remember this universal truth about how to S.E.R.V.E.

Make It…

S = Simple

Don’t make it hard to serve others.  Don’t try to do everything before you do something.  Just start with what you have and step out.  It is not always the big things that make the biggest differences sometimes it is the simple small things that have a greater impact. Termites do more physical damage than all natural disasters combined.  It is the small things that sometimes make the greatest impact.

E = Exciting

Don’t serve with a frown and bad attitude.  Nothing is worse than someone who is helping but doesn’t really want to, just GO HOME! If you are going to serve others be excited about the opportunity to lift others up.  Don’t walk around complaining when you get an opportunity to serve.  Find the purpose it what you are doing and keep your eyes on the bigger picture.  Scrubbing toilets doesn’t sound like the most fun job, but providing a clean environment for people to be healthy and clean keeps people coming back to your church , or whatever organization you are doing it for.

R = Random

Just step out when you see a need.  Random means there is no organized process, just spontaneous.  Serve others when they are least expecting it and when you are least expecting it.  It means a lot when someone drops what they are doing to randomly help you, so return the favor.  If you see a need fill it, don’t wait for someone else to come along, just do what you can.  Pick random times to serve your family, friends, co-workers, etc… Have fun with it and follow the previous step (make it exciting).

V = Voluntary

You can’t be forced to serve or it is not serving, it is being punished.  Be the one to step up and take the initiative to serve.  Don’t wait to be asked to do something just do it.  If you have kids you know how amazing it is when they do something to help out even when you didn’t ask them to.  Forcing someone to do something takes the serving part out of it doesn’t it? Volunteer your time, talent, or treasure to help others out.  You will never have time to serve if you don’t voluntarily make time to serve others.

E = Enduring

Don’t stop serving.  I have met many people that felt they have “paid their dues” and no longer need to serve.  They think they have somehow grown out of serving.  But you never move beyond serving others, it is not something we do for a season and then move out of.  Serving is FOREVER.  It is about living a life-style of meeting the needs of others.  Don’t grow weary when you serve.  Serving is a lot of work and will require blood, sweat, and tears at times, but don’t stop because of the work.  The payoff from serving far outweighs the process of surrendering.  And it takes work to surrender your selfishness and energy.  No doubt we need to pace ourselves and be careful of those that “use” us, but I would rather lean on the side of serving than the side of selfishness.

Make it a point to serve someone everyday!