The Matter of the Heart
We are called to serve the church and many of us serve willingly... thank goodness! But oftentimes, we don’t take a step deeper to address something so important that I am calling “the matter of the heart.”
You see, we are called to serve (Ephesians 4:12). And praise God that so many faithful men and women step up in the church to use their time, gifts, and talents to honor God. But as a church, let us take it a step further and look inside our hearts so that we can serve not only in action, but also with a heart and attitude that brings a smile to God’s face.
God is not only looking at our outward actions, but most importantly He’s looking inward at our heart. Unfortunately, anytime humans get involved, it’s so easy to make things about us. But serving isn’t about us at all and we have to do some heart work to make sure we aren’t trying to steal the spotlight.
Matthew 20:25-28 says, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles domineer over them, and those in high position exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant, and whoever desires to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
You see, it is backwards in the Kingdom of Heaven. If you want to honor God, do not seek to be first. Instead, focus on serving others and being content where you are given that opportunity. Everything we do should be out of an overflow of what God has done for us. So, the big question that we all need to ask ourselves is:
What is in our heart as we serve the church?
What is your real reason for serving? Your immediate answer may be different from the one that is hiding in your heart, and that is why this can really take some digging. Take time to seek the Lord in this matter and He will help you. He blesses those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
Maybe you’ve been serving in the church for a long time and you’ve forgotten your First Love. If you are honest with yourself, it’s very likely that this has changed over time without realizing it. Maybe when you were first called to Christ, you had such excitement in your heart, and you were so overtaken by God’s mercy and love, that you were willing to serve in any way that you could.
Or maybe you are new to the faith and you’ve been swept up in service, but not yet trained in the matter of the heart. Without realizing it, you’ve been experiencing some underlying heart issues that are trying to steal glory away from the only One who deserves it.
So, how do we know what is in our heart, right now?
The way we can really tell what is in our heart is when we observe our instant reaction when something doesn’t go the way we want it to. Scripture tells us that what we speak on the outside (and what we think) is a result of what is in our heart (Luke 6:45). So do we respond with anger or do we respond with grace and humility?
Here are some specific examples:
Let’s say you volunteer primarily on the worship team. What is your instant reaction when you’re asked to stand on the back row? Or what is your instant reaction when you aren’t given the song to lead that you wanted, and instead it’s been given to someone else? What is your reaction?
Perhaps you’ve volunteered for an event where the church needs small group leaders and you’ve been assigned the co-teacher position, not the main teaching position that you wanted. How do you respond?
Maybe you were serving one day and an angry person came up to you and spoke harshly to you, and for no good reason! How do you respond to that person?
Consider a time when someone really wronged you. Whether they have apologized or not– have you forgiven them? Truly forgiven them? No, I’m not talking about saying you have, but then avoiding them in person at all costs. I mean truly forgiving them where you have nothing negative left in your heart for them.
Do you cheer on and uplift the person who got the more desired role? Do you see the hurtful person through God’s eyes? Do you see that they are wounded and speak from a place of hurt, which brings you to respond in a gentle and kind way?
You see, we don’t really know what is deep within our hearts until we are pressed, squeezed, and pushed in a way that can hurt.
If you’ve read through these examples and related to even one of them, you can see that there is some heart work to be done. Honestly, there is heart work for all of us to do. We should do it gladly, so that we can give our Savior our very best!
What actions can I take?
Pray! Pray for a clean heart. Pray for the right intentions. Pray for your first reaction (even your reaction on the inside) to be godly and loving. God will honor these prayers, because they are according to His will (1 John 5:14-15)!
I know when I find myself having a poor reaction that I have some heart work to do. I need God to forgive and work on me. I am with you on this. Let us not allow anything ungodly to grow and fester within us. His Kingdom work is much too important for this!
God sees the things that are hidden. He truly SEES us. We have to believe with all of our heart that He will reward those who seek Him with a pure heart. So, when you aren’t given the opportunity you wanted, be reminded that God sees YOU. He cares for you, and He wants to observe how you respond when things don’t go the way you desire. He wants to see if you have a humble heart, or if you well up with jealousy or anger. Ultimately, we have to remember that we serve for an audience of One. We serve to bring Him glory. We serve to point others to Him.
There is a difference that is felt when you are in the presence of someone who isn’t consumed by thinking about themselves, but has a humble servant heart who is intentional with loving others. Because this is the kind of servant we need. Because having this heart posture is what will really make a difference for the kingdom of God. Because remember that verse above? The last is considered first in the kingdom of heaven. I want to be that person! Join me, as we seek the Lord together and see how He makes what can feel so impossible–possible!
