NEXT STEPS: ServePrøve

WHAT ABOUT ME? [Illustrations included in this devotional are not visible in this view. Illustrations are only supported in the Bible App for iOS, Android, and at Bible.com] Maybe you've started following Jesus and you're wondering if serving at church is your next step. This Bible plan is designed to help you understand the purpose of serving in church and its significance. Many times we'll hear people ask questions like, "If I'm called to serve and make my life about others, how will I get taken care of?" Let's be honest: Haven't we all felt this way at some point? If we want things to happen in our life, we can't go around just handing things out to others and being selfless. It's a dog-eat-dog world after all: Everything we get, we have to hoard to ourselves. That includes our time, right? Jesus teaches the exact opposite. There's a passage in Matthew we'll read in a moment that teaches us a new way of thinking about the things we have. Essentially, it goes like this: Jesus says when we care about the things that He cares about (like His Church and other people who don't know Jesus), He will take care of the rest. God's Word says on countless occasions that He owns everything and is in control of everything. So rather than working ourselves to death to get what we want (financial security, healthy relationships, purpose), instead we can put God and His purposes first and He'll make sure we get what we need. What a different way to live! If you feel like your whole life you've been on an endless and unsuccessful search for peace, this is the answer! There's only one who can work out the other things in life that we need and it's God. This is why we serve in church.