History Books in 90 Days: Joshua 16-17
LANGUAGES of Love
1 Peter 4:11; If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things
God may be praised through Jesus Christ.
In the sense we are talking, service is to do anything that you know the other person would greatly
appreciate, especially if it’s done without having been told. It is sometimes seen as mundane, as the
acts of service could be as simple as to throw in a load of laundry, wash the car or dry the dishes.
An act of service, however, is not a hastily-bought gift card or a bunch of flowers, which may be
perfectly wonderful for the gift-lover. To serve requires thought, time, effort and energy, and quite
often, humility; we must be able to humble ourselves to do that which we would rather not for the
sake of the other person. For spouses, this may take a surrendering of the male/female stereotypes;
a great display of love for many wives and mothers is a husband who will touch the diapers and
grab a mop.
Service is perhaps the most directly Christ-like display of love. Jesus was the great Servant, willing
to do the things that no other would do. He sat with the prostitutes and ate with the tax collectors,
he washed dusty feet and showed patience towards His slow-learning disciples; He trod the path to
death and endured suffering for our sake.
The Bible tells us that “the joy of the Lord is our strength.” Our Lord had joy even in pain and death,
and this can give us strength. We can serve others, no matter how despised the task, and we can
do it joyfully because our Lord did greater things for us.
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. What are some things could you do around the house that would be greatly appreciated by
those you live with? Commit to do one of these each day.
2. What if your efforts go unacknowledged? Sometimes it happens that our displays of love go
unnoticed, but this does not give us allowance to skirt our commitments, or to become grumps.
Meditate on the “joy of the Lord” and ask God to fill you with HIS joy so that you can be a
humble servant.
3. Meditate on 1 Peter 4:11 and ask God how He wants to speak to you through this verse.
