We repeat the phrase, ‘You Matter’ and pass out cards with this important reminder. We say, ‘You matter to God and you matter to our church.’ There really couldn’t be truer words. And what is even more amazing is that God demonstrates how much we matter to Him.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
God gave His only Son. Let that settle in for a minute. He loves you so much that He gave His Son so that we who were once far from God could be brought close to Him.
Do you know what John 3:16 shows us? It shows us that we matter, but it also shows us how much Jesus matters. Jesus is literally the only being God saw as capable to bridge that gap between God and God’s creation that He valued so greatly! God did not settle for Jesus being the substitutionary sacrifice on our behalf. He was our last and only hope.
As God’s best, Jesus asks people who believe in Jesus as their Savior and Lord to do two things: To love God and love others (Matthew 22:37-39). Put another way, Jesus asks us to prioritize worship and service. Jesus perfectly demonstrated both of these commands. These two commands are linked inseparably from one another.
Jesus literally lived a life of worship. Everything that He did was done in order to bring glory to His Father, but He also lived a life of service. “[Jesus] came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). So, Jesus was sent to the world to save the world, and the way that the world would be saved is if they believe and trust in Him. He asks people to trust Him to follow His commands: to live a life of worship and service.
We are obviously called to worship God as followers of Jesus, but what gets missed by followers of Jesus is the importance of serving. God demonstrates how much we matter to Him by rolling up His sleeves and coming down to us intimately meeting us where we’re at—He looks to meet our greatest need and does so in a way that only He can.
When we serve it communicates to the people we are serving that they truly matter. When we serve we put into action the type of belief that God asks of us because when we serve we are trusting that the little we offer to others God can use to turn hearts to Him. Serving matters because it allows Jesus’ spirit inside us to be demonstrated to the world around us. Will you serve Him today?
