The observation took me by surprise. Our church’s small group gathered at a lake house to spend some extended time together. During the winter season we’d met weekly, but for these few days we enjoyed being together 24/7. During the time together, I was struck by the servant hearts of these men and women ― never expecting others to wait on them, but all willing to serve others, go the extra mile, and do whatever task needed doing.

As I sat in my chair looking over the lake, I couldn’t help but think of the verses from Acts 6 where the growing community of believers needed to find specific men who could take care of serving others. The criteria? They had to be "seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task" (Acts 6:3).

Really God? In order to serve others in the body of Christ they had to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom? How different from what we often think, that being filled with the Spirit isn’t as important in the lives of the servants as it is in the lives of the leaders. But God’s view is the exact opposite.

Stephen, one of the men the disciples chose, was "a man full of God’s grace and power" (Acts 6:8). Because of the servant-hearted men like Stephen, the number of disciples grew rapidly (Acts 6:7). May we be like Stephen in servitude today!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for the tangible reminder of what it truly means to be full of faith and the Holy Spirit, always ready to serve others and not expect to be served myself. May I remember that in the days ahead as I seek to put this into practice in my own life, the life of my family, and in my church. Amen.

Go Deeper — Monitor how quick you are to serve others or expect others to serve you because of your age or position? This week be mindful of what it means to be full of faith and the Holy Spirit and look for ways to serve others in the body of Christ.

Check out our primary article on The Spirit-Filled Life.



Tags: The Body Acts 6