SERVED

There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Eph. 4:4-6).

In late August, Hurricane Florence barreled toward our small beach town causing mandatory evacuations. My family worked together to secure our home and gather up what little we could fit in one car. We drove to be with relatives in another state and watched the destruction on television. Because river flooding closed the highways, we weren’t able to return home for three weeks.

During that time, we spent days scrolling through social media, looking at pictures and video of the devastation. One story in my news feed intrigued me–people everywhere posted warnings of “rafts” of fire ants floating on the surface of the water. Unfortunately, some folks learned about this freaky fact the hard way and got attacked by swarms.

The rafts were made up of hundreds of thousands of ants. The ant colony is impossible to destroy as long as its queen is alive. When the waters rose, they sprung into action and bonded together for one purpose: to protect the queen and her young. The frantic pace of this binding creates a structure that allows them to float and seek the safety of dry land.

Beneath the water, danger lurks as predators attempt to gobble them up and tear the raft apart. However, once the ants make it to land, they get back to work at building up their community.

I see so many parallels between this natural phenomenon and our faith. The survival of the fire ant community depends on their leader. The queen is their entire reason for being, and all they do centers around her. The strength of the ants’ survival depends on them coming together as one unit for a critical purpose.

In the same way, Christ is building His Church (us) His way and wants all of us to join and serve in the communal effort He has designed and put into action. He is the One Lord, our leader, Savior and Master.

Paul tells us our call as Jesus’ disciples carries with it a responsibility to serve. Faithful servants hear, obey and serve their Lord with all humility and love. This love extends itself toward Him and one another.

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us of His purpose for coming to earth: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:2).

Have you ever thought of being someone God has served? How does knowing He first loved and served us impact how you serve with others in His mission?