You Are Called to Serve Others, Not Yourself

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES What On Earth Am I Here For?

You Are Called to Serve Others, Not Yourself By Rick Warren — Oct 1, 2015 “Each of us will give a personal account to God.” (Romans 14:12 NLT, second edition) At the end of your life on Earth, you will stand before God, and he is going to evaluate how well you served others with your life. The Bible says, “Each of us will give a personal account to God” (Romans 14:12 NLT, second edition). Think about the implications of that. One day God will compare how much time and energy we spent on ourselves compared with what we invested in serving others. At that point, all our excuses for self-centeredness will sound hollow: “I was too busy” or “I had my own goals” or “I was preoccupied with working, having fun, or preparing for retirement.” To all excuses God will respond, “Sorry, wrong answer. I created, saved, and called you and commanded you to live a life of service. What part did you not understand?” The Bible warns unbelievers, “He will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves,” but for Christians it will mean a loss of eternal rewards (Romans 2:8a). We are only fully alive when we’re helping others. Jesus said, “If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live” (Mark 8:35 TLB; see also Matthew 10:39, 16:25; Luke 9:24, 17:33). This truth is so important that it is repeated five times in the gospels. If you are not serving, you are just existing, because life is meant for ministry. God wants you to learn to love and serve others unselfishly. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick>> Talk It Over What has been the effect on you when you serve others? Why does God want us to learn to love and serve others? What does that say about him? What service has God called you to that you didn’t think you had enough time or energy to do? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkPgph8-yHY Today’s Scripture “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness...” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NKJV) SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS His Grace is Enough Grace is God’s unmerited favor. It’s kindness from Him that we don’t deserve. Grace empowers us and strengthens us. No matter what has happened in your past, you can receive God’s grace and start fresh today. You can hold your head up high because His grace is enough. You may not be perfect, but you are forgiven and empowered to live in victory. Today, receive His grace. Don’t hold on to past mistakes. Jesus has already paid for them. All you have to do is receive His grace and thank Him. Take it one step further and extend that grace to others. Don’t try to punish people for their past mistakes; instead, give them favor to start over. As you allow God’s grace to flow through you, you’ll see yourself rise higher, and you will enjoy God’s blessing all the days of your life! A Prayer for Today “Father, thank You for Your goodness and grace today. I receive Your strength and favor in my life. Help me to extend that grace to others in Jesus’ name. Amen.”