Rediscovering Spiritual Disciplines: Service

Mandy Crow
Jun 22
4 min read

Exploring the sometimes-overlooked spiritual discipline of service and what it looks like practically in our lives

illustration of hands reaching out to each other

We all know a servant, that person in our family or church who finds concrete ways to selflessly help others—not out of a desire for recognition or thanks or to earn God’s favor, but to follow in the example of Christ.

Mine have gone by a lot of different names.

Amanda, who spent countless Wednesday nights teaching me to love Jesus and spend time in God’s Word, to pray for missionaries around the world and find small ways to bless people society often overlooks.

Helen, who lived on a miniscule fixed income, but found ways to be generous—with her meager income, but also with her talents and her gifts. She was a teacher, an encourager, a prayer warrior.

Martha, who sits beside me in the choir and spends her free time doing projects that help to build the church across a variety of ministries. Even in the middle of her own difficulties, she finds ways to bless and encourage others.

While service might not be at the top of the list for you when it comes to spiritual disciplines, it’s a vital practice God uses to shape us more into the image of Christ.

Why Should I Serve?

It shapes our hearts in the image of Christ.
It forces us to consider others as more important than ourselves.
It is a concrete way we can love our neighbors.
It builds community among believers.

Service shapes our hearts in the image of Christ.

As a pastor of mine used to say, we are never more like Christ than when we serve. Think about Jesus’ earthly ministry and how he spent his time. He undoubtedly taught and nurtured the faith of his followers, but most of the time, he simply served. He fed people who were hungry, healed the sick and sat down for meals with people who were overlooked or hated.

Christ came to serve rather than to be served, even though in his glory, he deserves to be served. When we humbly serve others, it helps to align our hearts with his.

Service forces us to consider others as more important than ourselves.

Once in a season of deep anxiety, a godly friend of mine encouraged me to take my eyes off my own concerns and find a way to serve someone else. It wasn’t an avoidance tactic, a way to avoid the hard things in life, but rather a way to lift your eyes and focus on God. When we humbly seek to serve others out of a desire to live like Jesus, we begin to grow more into the shape of his as we practice the instruction to make others more important than ourselves.

Service is a concrete way we can love our neighbors.

Scripture tells us that Jesus came not to be served, but to serve (Matt. 10:28), and we, as his followers, are to live in his example. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 12:31), and service is a clear way we live out that command. As a word of caution, remember that service is an attitude and a way of life, not necessarily a checklist. It’s not about making a list of good deeds you’re going to do for someone, but rather living with an attitude of service, always looking for ways you can help or make life better for someone else. It can be as simple as sending a card or text and as complex as offering a ride or a meal. To develop a lifestyle of service, you have to be aware and intentional, paying attention to the people around you and seeking to make their needs more important than your own.

Service builds community among believers.

Ever gone on a mission trip with a group of people and come back with a lasting bond? When believers serve alongside each other, whether that’s teaching kids or serving a meal, ministering on a mission trip or helping tidy up the yard of an older church member, it builds community. When we serve together we are embodying so many of the commands Christ has called us to as the church, and it unites our hearts in purpose and focus.

What does service look like?

When we think about service, our brains—or at least mine—often goes straight to BIG things. Putting a new roof on a house. Feeding a mourning family for a month. Taking someone without a place to stay into your home. While serving can be any and all of those things, it can also be smaller things, like obeying the nudge to reach out to someone the Holy Spirit has put on your heart and really listening or inviting that new-to-town family in your church to lunch. Service, at its core, is an act of obedience and a response to what Christ has done in our lives. It isn’t a checklist to do good things, but obedience that’s motivated by our faith. It doesn’t have to be big and showy—and a lot of times it’s done in secret. Service is simply paying attention to the needs of those around you and finding ways to step in and meet those needs, quietly and without fanfare, when you can or when the Holy Spirit encourages you to. It can be:

Cooking meals
Running errands
Listening well
Sending texts or notes of encouragement
Cleaning
Working behind-the-scenes on the jobs nobody really wants to do
Praying faithfully for others
Practicing hospitality and making space for others, especially those who are often overlooked
And more.