If you’re human, you know what selfishness is. If you’re a believer, you have undoubtedly struggled with selfishness in your own heart. It’s important to realize that the gospel is the solution for our selfishness. This motivation for serving puts legs on the practical outworking of how we seek to grow in serving others.
The following article is from Jeff Brewer, pastor of Hope Fellowship.
Mark 9:30-50 teaches us about “the heart of a disciple.” From this passage, we see that a disciple looks to the cross, serves, is humble and takes sin seriously.
Concerning serving others, the over-arching question we could ask ourselves is about our understanding of how the gospel informs our service of others: ”Do I see the gospel as both the remedy for my sin of selfishness and the motivation for Christlike service?” When we see the gospel as the solution for our sin and the motivation for serving others, we can then ask ourselves other practical questions.
10 Questions to ask yourself about serving others:
1. When I serve others, do I do it so that they notice what I have done?
2. When is the last time I served someone at great cost for myself, and not kept track of the cost?
3. Are there people in my life that I am resisting serving due to selfishness?
4. Are there people I avoid serving in order to help others that will give me something I want?
5. Is my motivation for serving others guilt or the great love that I have been shown in the gospel?
6. What are other motivations in my heart for serving others?
7. Am I aware of needs in my community that God might have equipped me to help fulfill?
8. Am I serving wholeheartedly when I serve others?
9. Do I complain in my heart or to those closest to me after I have served at great cost?
10. Do I seek out ways in which to serve others joyfully?
Jeff Brewer is the lead pastor at Hope Fellowship in Lombard, Illinois, an Acts 29 church planted by College Church in Wheaton. In addition to reaching out to students at Hope Fellowship, he and his wife, Jen, were on staff with CRU, and Jeff has served as a college baseball team chaplain in the Chicago area.