Spring has just about come and gone … well, in Texas anyway. That means many things, but one of which is that camp is right around the corner! The campers are finishing up their school work, the summer staff are preparing to arrive over the next few weeks to start their training, and the Full Time staff are getting ready for both.
One of the main things we consistently remind our staff and ourselves to be prepared to do is to serve. We will be ready to serve the campers, their parents and families, other staff members, and ultimately, serve the Lord in doing so. Jesus gave us the example to follow.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)
Wow! What a standard of service He set for us. Notice it doesn’t say, “The Son of Man came to serve His friends and family and those who made Him happy.” Nor does it read, “Jesus served others when He had the time and it would work out well for Him.” Nope. Jesus came to give His life for others. And the ‘many’ were not just His family and disciples and friends; He died for those who were killing Him. He came to serve us.
As both the school year and spring season dwindle to a close, let us meditate a bit on the depth of the service of our Creator and Lord, Jesus Christ. Let us set our mind to follow His example and be willing to serve others without giving thought to our own interests (Phil 2:3-4).
I can still remember back to many times during the first week of school when a teacher would ask us to share about our summer—what we did, where we went, who we saw, etc. I challenge us all to head into our summer thinking through those same questions—but with a twist. Let us think through who we can serve and how we can serve them. Let us not do so begrudgingly or with the hope of gaining something, but simply out of gratitude for what Jesus Christ did to serve us.
Let us come into this summer to serve and do it with a smile.