Service: The Calling for God's Chosen People

Published November 18, 2025
Introduction:

For a long time, the word "service" was closely tied to "slavery" because service often implied obligation, duty, or repayment. In many cultures, service is seen as something that is exchanged for something of equal or greater value.
We live in a consumer-driven society where competition often creates a hierarchy—where the rich exploit the poor and people use others for personal gain. This worldly perspective skews our understanding of service.
The dictionary defines service as:
"Being subject to someone for any reason, doing what they want or require."
However, let's explore what the Bible teaches about true service and how we are called to serve.

1. God Calls Us Partners, Not Slaves:

Genesis 1:26-28:
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

  • God does not describe us as slaves, but as partners.
  • We share in His authority and responsibility over creation.
  • Unlike worldly service—where the weak serve the strong—God's kingdom operates in reverse:
        • The greatest serves the least
        • The strong serve the weak
        • The most holy serves the most sinful, bringing them to righteousness
Isn’t that amazing?
2. Who Are We Called to Serve?:
God calls us to serve three kinds of people:
  1. Those who love us
  2. Those who do not love us
  3. Those who hate us
A. Serving Those Who Love Us:
This is the easiest kind of service. Relationships thrive on reciprocity:
  • "In marriage, you give 50%, and your partner gives the other 50%."
  • Respect, affection, and love flow naturally when both give.
Luke 6:32-34:
"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.
And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full."
  • Jesus teaches true service goes beyond mutual benefit.
  • We are called to serve without expecting anything in return.
  • This is a higher standard—going the extra mile in love.
B. Serving Those Who Do Not Love Us:
This refers to people we interact with but have no real relationship with:
  • The cashier at Walmart
  • The Uber driver
  • Strangers in a Black Friday shopping crowd
Matthew 28:19-20:
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Making disciples requires sacrifice—your time, energy, and attention.
Loving those who do not know you demonstrates God's love for them.
Key takeaway: We must love those who do not love us to show them that God loves them.

C. Serving Those Who Hate Us:
This is the hardest kind of service but brings the greatest reward:

Luke 6:35-36:
"But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.
Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."

Matthew 5:43-45:
"You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."
  • The world says, "Revenge is sweeter than honey."
  • But revenge turns us into the villain we once hated.
  • True service, through God's power, allows us to love even our enemies.
Jesus: The Ultimate Example:
  • Jesus came to serve even those who opposed Him.
  • On the cross, He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
  • Loving our enemies is only possible through God's grace.
3. Serving Amid Abuse and Injustice:
What about serving those who abuse or mistreat us?:
  • Love and correction go hand in hand.
  • We are called to hate sin, not the sinner.
  • Service does NOT mean allowing abuse to continue.
  • Jesus condemned sin while saving the sinner.
If you are in an abusive situation:
  1. Pray for the abuser’s repentance.
  2. Seek justice while refusing to hold hatred in your heart.
  3. Remember: Jesus condemned sin but died to redeem the sinner.
Conclusion:
  • We were created to serve, not to be served.
  • We are living images of a God who serves.
  • Jesus gave His life for those who loved Him, those who ignored Him, and those who hated Him.
  • We are called to do the same—serving without expecting anything in return.