Do you have a servant’s heart? Has God blessed you with the insight to see the needs of others and reach out in compassion and understanding even when they, themselves, cannot reach out and ask for help?

This month I had the rare opportunity to not only reach out and touch a few lives, but to be blessed in return. I say rare because in my own experience, it’s either been one or the other—not both at the same time. I used to believe that it was because giving and receiving at the same time would take the focus off what God intended for us, or the other party, to learn.

But this month, as I was fulfilling God’s desire for me to serve others, He sent others to act as servants to my family. And you know what I learned? Humbling yourself to receive God’s blessings is just as important as humbling yourself to give God’s blessings to others. Whether you give or you receive, you must first humble yourself before the Lord and let His will take precedence over your circumstances, your emotions, your finances, and your actions.

It doesn’t matter what you own, how much money you have in the bank, how talented or educated you are, or how many people you know. If God calls you to have a servant’s heart, He will make a way for you to accomplish what He has put on your heart to do.

A servant’s heart has more to do with your relationship with God than it has to do with your desire to be recognized for your good deeds. Having a servant’s heart is one the most beautiful expressions of love I know. It’s showing your love to another human being by simply being who God intended you to be. It’s about seeing a need and fulfilling it without any strings attached. It’s about making yourself uncomfortable so that someone else could be comfortable. It’s about showing Christ’s love through your actions and words. And finally, it’s about touching the lives of those around you with such a gentle kindness that your act will be remembered

Pay attention when God calls you to serve others. Listen with your heart, not your mind. Hear what God wants you to do—not what you think should be done.

You might think a check to pay a bill will solve someone’s problem, but that might not be what God wants you to do. God may want you to teach that person how to budget his income so that he’s not in the same boat next month. You might think a prayer is all that is needed, but God might want you spend quality time with that person. You might think a having a garage sale to remove clutter from someone’s life will help her get more focused, but God might want you to help that person reorganize her life by ministering to her soul while you weed through her material possessions.

Taking the time to listen to what God wants you to do, humbling yourself to do what He has called you to do, and then faithfully following His orders regardless of how uncomfortable it makes you is truly what a servant’s heart is all about. It’s selfless love at its best and God couldn’t ask for a better gift or testimony of your relationship with Him.

Brush up on your Bible, topic-related verses may be found at: Matthew 25:40, Mark 10:45, John 3:30, 1 Peter 5:2

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Alyice Edrich is the editor of a Christian publication for BUSY parents looking for a way to balance life. Subscribe to her free e-newsletter at http://thedabblingmum.com/joinezine.htm to learn more about working from home, parenting, and Christianity. You could even win a free book!