If you study the life of Jesus, you will see He set the example to never stop giving. Everywhere He went, Jesus was giving something to someone. Sometimes it was as dramatic as giving sight to the blind (John 9:1-7) or cleansing an incurable disease (Matthew 8:2-4), and sometimes it was as simple and subtle as giving peace (John 14:27). In every Bible story in the gospels, you find people needing something from Jesus and Jesus providing it for them.
Not once do you read about Jesus doing something selfish. Not once do we find Him taking a break from His mission to just chill out and mindlessly relax. Even when He got away by Himself, it was to bask in the presence of His Father (Mark 1:35-38). The life of Jesus was one of service. Are we measuring up?
In our culture, our lives are all about us. We are selfish to a nauseating and horrifying extreme. Service to others is the exception, not the rule, in our lives. We give sometimes, but all the rest of the time is for ourselves. Life is short, so we have to play hard; at least that’s what the world says. But we are not called to give occasionally. We are called to walk just as Jesus walked (1 John 2:5-6), so we can never stop giving. It should mark who we are and who we are becoming.
Service is a vital part of our mission. Jesus said the second most important thing we can do (after loving and serving God) is to serve others (Matthew 22:36-40). Our service is a form of worshipping our Savior and God. We look most like Christ when we put aside our agendas and give to other people instead. If you always want to look like Jesus, then never stop giving. Give your time, money, talents, love, help, and wisdom away as often as you can.
Don’t just give a little of what God entrusts to you, give generously. I’m not just talking about money. I’m talking about giving as a lifestyle. When you see someone in need, stop and give whatever help you can. It doesn’t matter if it’s money, encouragement, or a hug. Give them something in the name of Jesus. Don’t walk away. Jesus said to give and it would be given to us (Luke 6:37-38). When we give others a taste of true life in Christ, we demonstrate our love for Him. And we know Jesus will welcome those who love Him into His Kingdom (Matthew 25:21).
Service to Jesus should be the story of our lives. He gave His life for us, so we should never stop giving our life to Him. Shifting your focus from yourself to others will be difficult at first, and it will never cease to be exhausting, but in a most satisfying way. As our world grows darker, the need for Christ’s followers to serve others only becomes greater. It’s an enormous task and we will never run out of opportunities to give up our life in the service of others. That’s just like Jesus. That’s who we want to be, so never stop giving.