Serving with Eagerness

1 Peter 5:2

shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;

When we were children, we joined our parents in the work that needed to be done around the house.  We joined them in obedience to their request for help. If we served them because we loved them and wanted to honor them, our work was done eagerly and with joy.  If we served them for any other reason - to earn allowance or perhaps avoid punishment - our work probably became tedious quickly.

We may find a similar experience when we seek to serve humanity.  No matter how fulfilling the service may be at first, the humanitarian cause will become exhausting if the root of our service is not our love for Our Savior.  The secret of our joy in service will be our devotion to Jesus Christ.  

Jesus was the perfect model of service.  Jesus was able to carry through on His service to mankind all the way to the end because He was driven by His love for His Father first.  Honoring His Father with His obedience was His calling. The service that He provided for mankind was the result of His love for His Father.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for allowing us to express our love to You through our service to those around us.  We pray that You strengthen us, Lord, for our work by helping us to grow in our relationship with Your Son.  May all that we do to serve Your kingdom be done out of our love and passion for You and Your Son.