Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
-Genesis 1:28 (NLT)
In Day 6 of the Creation Story, God made the animals, followed by human beings. He then basically tells Adam and Eve to prosper and take charge of the earth. Or, in a single word, God tells them to serve.
I’ve never really thought about it before, but these are God’s first words to the humans, the most-special thing he’s ever created. Adam and Eve are different from everything else. They are unique because they have the ability to bear God’s image. He could have told them anything from the get-go, but he chose to tell them that service is the main function of human life.
In other words, we were made to serve.
As a minister, I can think of multiple times that I’ve been speaking to someone, asking them if they would consider serving in the church in some capacity. The funny thing is, whether it’s about our children, youth, worship services, or sports ministries, the #1 reason I get turned down is because the person is “too busy” or “doesn’t have time”.
Now, I’m not saying that everyone should say yes when asked to help. Some people serve way beyond what is expected of them and need to turn down offers from time to time for their sanity. Church burnout is way too prevalent because of that.
But what I am wondering is if everyone that says no makes that decision because they are already serving. Is service already their top priority, or is something else just in its place, giving them the illusion of not having enough time?
You see, service to others wasn’t meant to be an add-on or something we squeeze into our already-packed lives. It is supposed to be first and foremost in our lives, because God entrusted us with the responsibility first and foremost. And that means that what’s important to us just might need some rearranging.
Serve God by serving the earth. It’s what we’re made to do.
