Questions of Service

God has asked us to consider our relationship with Him, as well as with others.

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, ’Where are you?’” (Genesis 3:8, 9, NIV).

Where are you, My child, in relation to Me? Where are your values, in relation to Mine? Where is your future, according to My plans for you? Where are you with regard to serving Me?

“Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother?’” (Genesis 4:9, NIV).

Where are you, My child, in relation to others? Where is your care and concern for your brothers and sisters? Where are your priorities when it comes to serving side-ways?

When sin entered the world, God asked two questions. By asking “Where are you?” He calls us to consider our relationship with Him—do we believe, have we confessed, are we saved?

By asking “Where is your brother?” God calls us to consider our relationship with others—do we care about them, have we served them, are we sharing God with them?

Most Christians are aware of the first question and, since they are Christians, have done something about it. Through Bible study and prayer, we maintain and strengthen our relationship with God. But what about the second question? How do Christians respond to relationship with others?

Jesus’ life on earth is the perfect example of interacting with our brothers and sisters. He served through healing, counselling, feeding and teaching. He looked for His brother and helped him out. And this is how we can connect with others—through serving them. We can serve through various means, such as tutoring a friend in a difficult subject, mowing the lawn for a neighbour, helping our parents at home. These types of work follow the example of the Great Servant, Jesus.

This second question of the gospel often gets lost in our quest for the first—our personal salvation. But what about the salvation of others? We have a responsibility to seek out the lost and touch them with God’s love. Jesus said, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8, NIV).

ADRA is the Adventist Church’s official response to God’s command to love one another through service. Through relief and development projects, ADRA reaches out to others to provide food and water, health and healing, learning and education.

And each of us has an individual responsibility to connect with people and serve them, as Christ did—selflessly and without expectation. He calls all of us to service.