[300 words]
Christ gave Himself up for us, and so, we live this life in our flesh by faith in the Son of God (Eph 5:1; Gal 2:20) to the service and blessing of one another. As husbands, we give ourselves up for our wives (Eph. 5:25). As fathers, we give ourselves to the nurturing and admonishing of our children in the Lord (Eph 6:4). As wives we give ourselves up for our husbands (Col 3:18). As mothers and grandmothers we give ourselves up for our children (Prov 31:28; 2 Tim 1:5). Finally, as Christians, we give ourselves to the service of one another for the sake of Jesus and His purpose in us.
We look and long for ways to give ourselves in service to others. We want their hearts and minds to be blessed by our service to them. We want the world to see our deeds of service, so that they may be able to praise our Father in heaven (Matt 5:16). However, there are times when we either do not have or are not prepared for the opportunity to serve. We do our best service, teaching, and giving when we follow the example of the Macedonian churches, who gave themselves first to the Lord and then to others in keeping with God’s will (2 Cor 8:5). Giving themselves first to the Lord enabled them to do even beyond what they had the ability to do (2 Cor 8:3). Giving themselves first to the Lord they were blessed with, eager for, and successful with the opportunity to give of themselves for others. We give ourselves first to the Lord to prepare our hearts and minds for service to others (Ezra 7:10 KJV), so it glorifies Hirn, not us.
Jay Don Poindexter
Merkel Church of Christ
Merkel, TX