We’re prone to constantly inventory our money, possessions, time, and cats. If we’re honest, we do this in order to calculate how we might acquire more money, stuff, time and cats. What this creates is perpetual dissatisfaction. Our focus is us, and we deserve everything we can get. The pursuit of everything naturally creates dissatisfaction.
Jesus addresses this in Luke 20:46-47: “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widow’s houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”
No hint of any service taking place in the lives of those religious scribes. Quite the opposite. Then Jesus points to someone else: “And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.” (Luke 21:2-4)
One key to living a life of service to others is a strong sense of contentment in your own life. The widow Jesus observes certainly fits in that category. It’s a simple analysis. If the widow had not been content in her life, she would certainly have kept her two coins. Instead, her contentment shows in her willingness to give up her entire livelihood as a way to serve her God.
Another strong example of contented service is found in the story of the Good Samaritan. From Luke 10:35, we read this about this gentleman: “The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you have.’”
Amazingly, he gives the innkeeper a blank check to continue taking care of the wounded man. Only one kind of motivation would lead someone to provide that level of service to another person, and it stems from being completely content in one’s own life and circumstances.
Both those accounts deal with serving others using money. What about our time or material possessions? Can we be content in handing over our material possessions if it would serve better purposes for someone else? Sometimes we act as if that fourth car in our garage will be joining us in heaven even though we rarely drive it here. Do we truly need fifteen pairs of shoes?
Suppose you’re contemplating parting with a possession to serve someone. Ask yourself if you will be content without that possession. If you can answer ‘yes,’ then you’re well on you way to enjoying the easy yoke of service.
For many of us, time is our most valuable commodity. How many times have we witnessed a situation which could be helped if we would simply offer ourselves timewise?
It needn’t be dramatic. Sometimes, the only thing a lonely person desires is for someone to stop and visit for a short time. However, we quickly scan our schedule and move on. Maybe next time.
Plenty of paths to serve someone else exist. We can do it through our finances, material possessions or time.
Listen to the apostle Paul’s wise counsel from 1 Timothy 6:6-9: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.”
The easy yoke Christ promises to believers cannot be captured with money, material possessions or hoarding our time. It can be ours if we allow our lives to be immersed in contented service at every opportunity.