Information Related to "You're Never Too Young to Serve!"
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Have
you ever felt like you were too young to serve? Do you ever feel that
you have no important part in the Church? Do you think of adults as the
only people who serve at Church? Regrettably, some young people feel
this way.
Jesus Christ said that He came so that His followers (of all ages) "may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). Christ's followers are to live full and abundant lives. Does serving have anything to do with living this "abundant life"? The answer is a resounding "Yes!"
Love = service to others. The key to understanding how to live the "abundant life" is knowing the two great commandments—"love the LORD your God" and "love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-39). These two laws (which sum up God's Ten Commandments) are the backbone of true Christian living.
But how do these laws transfer into an abundant way of life? The basic answer is that God's laws equal love. Love, in turn, means that we are focused on others more than ourselves. To do this, we must have the heart of a servant—focusing on raising others to their highest potential and making life easier and more pleasant for them. This way of living has been described as the way of "give" versus "get." God created us and knows that His way will truly make us happy and fulfilled now, and will have never-ending rewards in the future.
With these principles in mind, we could define service as: Giving your time and energy to God by helping and caring for others out of genuine love and concern for them.
How
young people can serve. But how can a young person serve?
Should we go out and join the Peace Corps or move to Calcutta and feed
starving children?
Related Information on UCG Sites:
Table of Contents that includes "You're Never Too Young to Serve!"
Other Articles by Erik Jones
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