The Discipline of Service allows us to live out the commandments that our Lord considered the two greatest commandments. In Matthew 22:36 – 40 we read:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

The literature on the topic of service is extensive as an internet search on the topic will prove. Over the next six days, we will focus on selected topics aimed at improving our practice of this discipline. Along with the Bible, I will be sharing from one of the key books referenced on the 40 Days of Discipline website: Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster.

Today we will examine a key Biblical principle, and a short excerpt from Celebration of Discipline:

Biblical Principle – 1 Corinthians 13:3:
“If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

The key principle is that service that is acceptable to God must be motivated by love. We will expand on the topic of motivation tomorrow.

Excerpt from Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster:
“Service is not a list of things that we do, though in it we discover things to do. It is not a code of ethics, but a way of living….. It is one thing to act like a servant; it is quite another to be a servant.”

The key point here is that true service is more than activities it is a way of life.