Serving without Expectation

What's in it for me?

Isn't that what we hear to often in our society?  People aren't willing to help unless they receive some kind of financial or personal benefit from participating.  We hear it in the political process, the church, the office and the school. We all want something in return for our service.

But that's not the way God designed service.  He intends for us to serve without an expectation of a reward.  Service, particularly service for the kingdom of God, is not about being rewarded, but honoring Jesus Christ.  We don't serve to earn a reward.  We serve to honor Jesus.

In Malachi 3:13-15, the post-exilic Jewish people are once again complaining to the Lord, through the prophet Malachi.  They claim that serving God is a waste.  They serve God, and even mourn sin, but they get nothing in return.  Meanwhile, the wicked people of other foreign nations, prosper.  The insinuation is that it's better to be evil and prosper than to serve and get nothing for it.

Now, first off, those who serve God are rewarded.  Our rewards may not come in life, but instead may come in the life to come. 

However, we are not to serve in order to get a reward.  We are to serve as a way to point to Jesus Christ, who came to earth to serve us rather than be served.  He served without expectation.  We, as believers in Jesus Christ, must also serve without expectation.

In other words, we are to serve without getting something in return.  By doing so, we show that we are like Jesus.  That should afford us opportunities to tell others about Christ and ultimately expand the kingdom of God.

So will you serve?  And will you do so without expectation?

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