It is my prayer that every Christian recognizes the importance of serving God through the way we serve others.  There are few things, if any, that are as emotionally exhilarating, and draining, as the task of serving others.  Having worked in a variety of ministry settings, including various roles within Christian camp ministry, I understand the excitement that often comes with the beginning of a new ministry or ministry season.  I also understand the weariness than can develop when our focus begins to drift away from the ministry of serving and onto ourselves.

This is day two in the eleventh week of devotions from the book, “Serving God: Devotions for Active Worship”.  This devotional book is laid out in thirteen weeks of daily devotions with each week wrapped around an aspect of how we can serve others.  Each of these devotions are designed to help a person spend time with God to see how serving others is an act of worship.

Serving God:
Patience Because Of Love

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.“
1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV)

How patient are you with the people you love?  Is that different than your level of patience with those you simply tolerate?  How about with people you can’t stand?  Would your answer to any of those questions need to change if you were to view patience as a result of God’s love toward you rather than your feelings toward a person?  How has God’s patience toward you been demonstrated through His love?

Young love is a fascinating thing.  We often use the phrase, “a honeymoon period”, to describe a time when faults are overlooked and patience is at an all-time high.  While the phrase comes from a marriage relationship, it is used in many situations where love for a person, an idea, a job, a friendship, or a variety of other things makes us appear, for a time, blind to the everyday faults that everyone else can see.  When God says that love is patient, He is talking about a love that helps us serve others when the people around us say they don’t deserve it.  As you pray, ask God to fill you with His love in a way that gives you patience in serving others.  Pray that you would daily see God’s love as He is patient with you.   Pray for a patience that overlooks the offences of others in the same way God overlooks yours.

In prayer,

Tom