Lent Devotional week 4: Service

Scriptures

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” – 1 Peter 4:10-11

and submit to each other out of respect for Christ. Ephesians 5:21

Reflection

If you will watch these things, you will see, for example, that almost all church fights and splits occur because people do not have the freedom to give in to each other. We insist that a critical issue is at stake; we are fighting for a sacred principle. Perhaps this is the case. Usually it is not. Often we cannot stand to give in simply because it means that we will not get our own way. Only in submission are we enabled to bring this spirit to a place where it no longer controls us. Only submission can free us sufficiently to enable us to distinguish between genuine issues and stubborn self-will. – Richard Foster A Celebration of Discipline

Questions

• What is the relationship between service and submission?
• In Philippians 2 Paul talks about humbly submitting in order to come to us, how does this idea impact your thoughts on being Christlike?
• Peter urges us to serve others with the gifts we have been given, where are you living this out in your own life?