How?

 
 

The first step of this whole process needs to be preparation, and the first part of this preparation should be for us to ask God to:

To put people in our path that we can serve

To open our eyes to see those people and their needs

To work on our hearts so that we approach service with the right attitude, and

To show us how to love others as ourselves

 

Yes, this is prayer, but you don't have to be worried about if you know how to "pray well."  You don't have to use fancy words here - "Thee" and "Thou" aren't necessary (unless that's how you normally talk).  Talk to Him like you would talk to a friend or mentor that loves you and knows you deeply, because He's like that!

 

God is faithful, and you can be assured that if you ask Him to show you opportunities to serve, those prayers will be answered!

 

As you continue your preparation, you might reflect on the way that Eugene Peterson puts the words of Matthew 7:12 into more contemporary language in The Message:

 

"Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them."

 

The next thing to do is to go out and do it!  You could do this as a part of a planned activity (by yourself or with others), where you go out with the specific intent to serve others in a specific way.  Or, you could simply keep your eyes out as you go about your normal activities for ways that you can serve others.

 

No matter what you set out to do, remember that if you've asked God those things we talk about above, you shouldn't be surprised if you find people that need to be served in ways you didn't plan for.  Be prepared for the unexpected!

 

how do we do this?

God is faithful, and you can be assured that if you ask Him to show you opportunities to serve, those prayers will be answered!

So, if you’ve gotten this far on the site, hopefully you’re curious about how you might join in.  If so, Welcome!  Please take a gander at the thoughts below, and then continue on to the “Get Involved” page.