Jeremy, Age 3
When our younger son Jeremy was about three, and people would ask, “What would you like to be when you grow up?” he offered a unique response: fire truck.
Well-meaning folks tried to amend his answer. “You mean a fire fighter?”
“No!” he’d state emphatically. “A fire truck!”
No doubt the blaring siren and rumbling engine appealed to our rambunctious little boy who liked all things noisy, but didn’t understand the parameters of adult vocation.
There’s another response to that quintessential question of adults-to-children, one that would also surprise: “I want to be a servant!”
Truth is though, scripture has a lot to say about all of us taking on the role of servant. One website lists one hundred verses on the topic [1].
And though serving others may require sacrifice, God is quick to bless us when we do. The list of benefits happens to make a tidy acrostic too.
To be a servant of God produces the following in our lives:
S atisfaction
Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than receive”[2], which applies to money and gifts, of course, but also to the giving of time and effort.
Life is more meaningful when we touch and bless the lives of others”
—Carole Ladd, Thrive, Don’t Simply Survive, 186.
E nablement
We tend to look at our feeble capacities and forget that results don’t depend on our competence, but God’s perfect proficiency working through us.
In fact, God has promised to equip us with everything we’ll need in order to serve according to his directives [3].
R eward
Scripture makes clear: Upon our arrival in heaven, our gracious heavenly Father will reward us for our good deeds—rewards that will be just as good and perfect as he is.
But some rewards come immediately, such as the joy and satisfaction mentioned above. God has engineered our spirits to be refreshed as we seek to refresh others [4].
V alue
God values servanthood. He sent his own beloved Son, the King of the universe, to this earth in order to serve others.
And know this: nothing we do for him will be a waste of time or effort [5].
A ccolades
When Jesus returns to earth, “each will receive their praise from God” (1 Corinthians 4:5). Note the Apostle Paul doesn’t say the only ones to receive praise will be the best-of-the-best with a long list of impressive achievements.
No, God will praise each of us for the good we’ve accomplished—the kind words we’ve spoken, the attentive listening we’ve offered, even the menial tasks we’ve completed—because “faithfulness with a small thing is a big thing” (Hudson Taylor).
And one day we’ll hear that glorious commendation from God himself: “Well done, good and faithful servant” [6].
N obility
No, God’s servants don’t become lords and ladies or dukes and duchesses. It’s another definition for nobility that applies here, a definition that includes virtue, goodness, and honor.
Actually, the title of “Lord’s servant” is a high honor bestowed upon just a handful of people in the Old Testament, including Abraham, Moses, David, and Isaiah [7].
It’s a title we can wear with righteous pride!
T hriving
In 1714 pastor/Bible commentator Matthew Henry lay dying. He was only fifty-three, and had already buried his first wife and three of his children.
Henry might have been bitter, but he said to a friend, “A life spent in the service of God, and communion with Him, is the most comfortable and pleasant life that one can live in the present world” [8].
And that gift of “a most comfortable and pleasant life” may be ours also, as we choose to live in communion with God and spend our lives in His service.
* * * * * * * * * *
Lord God, may I contentedly express my love for you by serving others, delighting in what you empower me to do for your sake.
P.S. That little guy who wanted to be a fire truck? He’s now a pastor.
Pastor Jeremy
[1] https://kingdomway.ca/100-bible-verses-on-serving-others/
[2] Acts 20:35
[3] Philippians 2:13
[4] Ephesians 6:7-8; Proverbs 11:25b
[5] Mark 10:45; 1 Corinthians 15:58
[6] 1 Corinthians 4:5; Matthew 25:11
[7] Based on Margaret Feinberg’s observations in Wonderstruck, 119.
[8] https://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/bhenry6.html
Photo credits: Nancy Ruegg; http://www.pexels.com; http://www.flickr.com; http://www.canva.com; http://www.nara.getarchive.net; Nancy Ruegg.
Discover more from From the Inside Out
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
From the Inside Out 
Such a sweet, cute boy all grown up and a pastor to boot! Such a handsome man Is Jeremy and I know you are so proud of him, Nancy, and well you both should be. I love how you focused on what it means to truly serve God in this world, and how it changes one’s own life and the lives of others for the better and for His glory. We so need servant leadership in every institution in our divided country. I hope having that type of mindset helps people to choose wisely in the upcoming election.
Blessings always!
Oh, for godly servant leadership in our country! I continue to pray that lies would be exposed and truth would shine with unmistakable clarity so such candidates might be elected across the country and in Washington, D.C. I also pray that people would consider carefully their choices and vote wisely! I know you’re praying the same, Martha!
I’m praying with you, Nancy. Very few people go into politics to serve; we need more of them. Your acrostic for SERVANT is very good!
From fire truck to pastor. I like this guy! And I’m sure you are crazy about him too. Sending up a little prayer for his ministry even as we speak, friend. A profound yet challenging call on his live … and yours, too, as his parents.
Thank you, Linda. He and his wife have such a heart for people. Their church loves them!
I love that your little fire truck wannabe became a pastor! Thank you for your uplifting message of the joy of being a servant of God. 🙂
Isn’t God gracious?! It practically takes my breath away to contemplate these blessings, even as I’m seeking to bless HIM through serving! / Fortunately Jeremy’s fire truck phase didn’t last very long! By the time he was six he was already talking about following in his daddy’s footsteps to become a pastor. I don’t think he ever wavered from that “calling.”
Two pastors in one family! What a blessing that they chose to serve the Lord by sharing His Word.
Indeed it has been!
In a way, symbolic.lol..He is much like a firetruck in vocation.
Indeed–part of his calling is to put out fires, right?!
I admit that I wondered where you were going with the title of this blog. As always, you went right where my heart is and you have blessed me so much with your words. A most comfortable and pleasant life indeed, even when I am uncomfortable and facing the unpleasant tasks. God is so faithful with His reminders to me of how important He sees the menial work of this life. And also, God has so blessed you with your son and DIL who love and serve Him. I loved seeing his pictures from little to large. Blessings, Nancy!
Thank you, Patty. I need the reminders too, so my attitude remains positive and joyful, even amidst the tasks I’d rather not do. Now I can review this acrostic at such moments and refresh my spirit!
Loved this post if the joy of being a servant for and of God. Wanted to be a firetruck to becoming a pastor
– loved that. I am sure you are so proud of Jeremy.
Thank you, Manu. We are indeed proud of our three children, the adults they’ve become, the spouses they’ve chosen, and more. God has certainly blessed–in spite of parenting failures and mistakes!
Your son is a reflection of the love and consistency of grace and faith he received growing up–he became a pastor! Wow. The beauty of servanthood isn’t lost on me–we hear about servant leadership all the time. The downside comes when those who choose to serve in grace and love are treated like servants by others who would take advantage of their grace and goodness. Pastors experience that all the time. God does give us what we need to serve–He is our encouragement and sufficiency. Love this acrostic!
Thank you, Dayle. I pray all three of our children felt loved, experienced the grace of God in our home, and saw faith lived out from day to day. I must take ownership of my failures, but God has redeemed them. / You’re right–some people expect more from their pastor than he or she can possibly give. I love what Elisabeth Elliot had to say though about being treated like a servant: “The best way to find out if you have a servant’s heart is to see your reaction when you’re treated like one!”
Nancy, that sweet three year old reminds me of our sweet three year old grandson. My prayer is to serve God first, then my family, and others. I find that I often grumble to myself and that is not serving, but complaining because I feel the need to serve. It is an act of worship when our heart attitude is right toward God!
Thank you for an insightful post!
You are so right, Pam: when we serve others as a love-gift to God and with a right attitude, it is indeed an act of worship, and a beautiful one at that! I’ll join you in that prayer. / When you post new pics of your grandson I’ll have to check for the resemblance to our Jeremy!
Much better to be a servant of Jesus than anything else. We can serve Jesus in any walk of life even as a fire truck, I mean firefighter 🙂
LOL, Matt! Did you happen to see what Gary Fultz wrote above? Since pastors must sometimes put out fires of discontent, disagreement, misunderstandings, etc. they really DO take on the role of fire truck! 😁
lol
fire truck to pastor – not bad. did you know I have a pastor son too? Love this post and did make me slow down and consider all the depths of being a servant. Been pondering this much lately – the call to serve so thanks for adding thoughts to my wonderings. have a great weekend, Nancy!
I didn’t remember that you also have a pastor-son. One more thing we have in common, Jean! So glad these thoughts added to your ponderings about servanthood.
I love your fire truck story, Nancy. Some people really are fire trucks in real life! I have known a few! Service is the expression of love that allows us to also become, “the Word made flesh.”
Yes, Dwight, “the Word made flesh.” A pastor-acquaintance of ours used to say we need to be “Jesus with skin on” for others. The same idea, expressed a little differently!
Thank you for this story, and the teaching on servant. I liked the E–enablement especially. 🙂 I also love that your son is now a Pastor. How wonderful! 🙂 (My husband is a firefighter–so the firetruck story was especially cute. 🙂 )
Thank you for your encouragement, Katie. Please thank your husband for me, for his dedicated service!
This was so encouraging to me: “When Jesus returns to earth, ‘each will receive their praise from God’ (1 Corinthians 4:5). Note the Apostle Paul doesn’t say the only ones to receive praise will be the best-of-the-best with a long list of impressive achievements.”
I pray that sharing my devotions and personal God-incidences on FB will reach some for Christ.
And thank you for sharing your family experiences with us on your blog. They provide lessons, enjoyment, and motivation to me!
I’m sure the things you share on FB DO reach some for Christ, Cheri. Isaiah 55:11 gives us encouragement for our efforts, even when we see no results: “My word that goes out from my mouth . . . will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Such a comforting promise!
Good thought – has anyone ever wanted to be a servant when they grow up? I always think of the Lord saying “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Amen Barb! That’s a worthwhile scripture to keep in mind when we’re faced with tasks-on-behalf-of-others that we’d rather not do. There IS blessing in it somewhere! 😁 We just need to look for it.
Oh my gosh, from “fire truck” to “pastor” – how proud you must be of your son. I still remember a book from my corporate management days called “The Power of Servant Leadership”. So many great lessons on how to effectively interact with people. The “S – satisfaction” in your acronym makes me think of my late father, whose philosophy on philanthropy was to get involved, not just write the check. I think it was his way of distinguishing an opportunity of passion from one of obligation. He led by example.
As I commented to Nancy Homlitas above, Jeremy’s fire truck phase didn’t last very long! By the time he was six he was already talking about following in his daddy’s footsteps to become a pastor. I don’t think he ever wavered from that “calling.” / Your father did indeed set a stellar example for all who knew him!
I can imagine my 3-year-old grandson making a similar reply about wanting to be a fire truck. 🙂 If anything has wheels, he loves it. I’m sure your son is a blessing to many now as a pastor!
Thank you, Lisa. I’m sure he is too. Jeremy is a compassionate, hard-working pastor with a great sense of humor!
Wonderful post! I love the Bible passages that you chose…very inspiring. Thank you for sharing the story about your son. What a blessing that this little boy who loved firetrucks became a pastor!
Thank you, Linda. I’m so glad you found inspiration in the scripture passages highlighted here. And yes, it does bless our hearts to see our son and DIL minister to the people in their congregation and community!
Nancy, thank you for sharing this timely topic. Just as Jesus served His Father as a perfect witness to His glory, we are called to serve when a situation provides an opportunity. I enjoyed learning about Jeremy’s chosen vocation. God’s peace be with you, your family, and all who serve.
Thank you, Richard. You bring up a good point: we’re in good company as servants, since Jesus, the Son of God, served others continually. Even now he serves as our Advocate, Shepherd, Physician, Counselor, and more!