Service … or Selfishness?

Have you ever considered what side of the ledger you are on when it comes to Service or Selfishness? Service is giving to others. It’s clean–there’s nothing in it for you whatsoever. It’s when we turn our nose up at the thought of selfishness that we may need to revisit.
Be honest. Have you ever helped someone with their yard, knowing that you plan to ask to borrow their hedge clippers later in the week? Did that have anything to do with your willingness to help? You can say, “it’s only fair,” but if you didn’t start the exchange with full disclosure of your intention, this form of service is only a form of manipulation.
Speaking of full disclosure, I work on this constantly. While I do find joy in serving, I am also a broken person. I need to always check my motives. Am I helping because I want to, or am I helping because of what it gets me? Am I satisfied with what I’m getting for serving (personal joy, satisfaction, gratification), or are there ulterior motives behind my actions?
Kick it up a notch and think about why we serve Christ. Is it because of the praise we get from our Christian peers? Do we serve because of what is promised to us in heaven?  Or do we serve only to praise? Let’s remember that serving to promote our greatness has never been a part of God’s plan of service to Him.
Think about service … why do you serve?
Reposted from March 25, 2011