by Victoria Jenkins

There are so many ways we are to model ourselves after Christ, but chapter seven of Dino Rizzo’s Servolution touches on one amazing aspect of our awesome Redeemer that I cannot wait to explore and develop within my own life His life through me. We need to view this life as His. Nothing is ours. God doesn’t give us anything, He loans us everything, and the very life inside us is no exception.

Christ’s life offers a glimpse into what a giving spirit—the Spirit—looks like.

Jesus had a way of making each person He met know they mattered. It’s not that He went out of His way to convince these people they were special; it’s the fact that He went out of His way at all that made them know they were loved. In Scripture, there are so many instances of Jesus heading here or there on His way to do this or that. So many of these journeys we get to join Him on were interrupted by people looking for a handout. Oh, not the type of handout the lazy long for just to get by, but the literal hand of God reaching out to theirs. No matter His destination, the importance of His travels, or the length of His journey, Jesus never refused an outstretched hand.

Servolution is a call to action for the child of God; it’s a reminder of what Christ did with His time on earth, and a lesson in what we are to do with our allotted time as well. We can have lives that glorify our King by simply allowing Jesus to shine through us. The moment we accepted Christ as our Savior, His desires took up residence within our hearts and they long to come out. Rizzo points out that, “Jesus just poured out a miracle because the deep well of His heart was full of compassion,” and the Holy Spirit is waiting to pour out miracles through us. Allowing the compassion of Christ to overflow from our hearts onto the lives of those around us is the very soul of service.

Jesus never saw these opportunities to minister as interruptions to His day. They were the very point of His existence. As Rizzo tells of Christ washing the feet of His disciples, we are reminded of the reality that serving one another is a beautiful act of love. The phrase “the least of these” keeps ringing in my head. Aren’t we all the least of these? No matter our wealth, our status, our provisions, or possessions, we are the least. The least important, the least worthy, the least deserving, the least loved, the least cared for, the least giving, the least of all these—were it not for the grace of our faithful God.

I want to leave you with an illustration of how serving the one is serving the many in our Father’s all capable hands. It’s a different kind of service, but the concept of how God can take the smallest contribution and turn it into a gift for the masses can’t be missed.

“After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following Him, because they saw the signs that He was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with His disciples.

Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.

When He looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward Him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’ He said this to test him, for He Himself knew what He was going to do. Philip answered Him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.’

One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’

Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all.

Then Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.

When they were satisfied, He told His disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’ So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets.

When the people saw the sign that He had done, they began to say, ‘This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world’” (John 6:1-14, NRSV).

Give of yourself in love, as the boy gave all he had to Jesus. Just as Jesus personally served each of the five thousand from one person’s gift, our Father will use our gifts to feed many. Then even the least of these will see the signs that our Lord is working and they will know that He is God.

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Get the book: Servolution: Starting a Church Revolution Through Serving (Note: Buying it here helps me feed my family! Thanks! 🙂 )

About the contributor:

Victoria loves capturing pieces of the world around through photography and finds purpose, value, and peace in knowing that our faithful Savior uses even the most broken vessels to deliver His message. Encouraging other women who seek to follow Christ brings with it a blessed sense of accountability that helps to keep her in the Word– especially on those days when the laundry might just sprout legs and “dinner” starts to feel like a four-letter word. You can find Victoria writing devotionals and sharing this and that at her website, Let the Son Shine.