A Love to Serve
Genesis 29:20
Introduction.
Service is part of being a Christian.
Jesus Himself taught on this subject a lot.
He showed His service for His disciples when He humbled Himself and washed their feet (John 13).
We have plenty of examples in the Bible of service.
Jacob is one of those examples.
He serviced his uncle Laban for 20 years.
Laban was a liar and a cheat, yet the Lord blessed him for Jacob’s service.
He served Laban for seven years for his daughter Rachel’s hand.
Laban tricked him into marrying Leah first, Rachel’s older sister.
When Jacob complained, Laban gave him Rachel for seven more years of service.
Then Jacob worked for Laban for six more years for wages.
It was during these first seven years that we read of Jacob’s service for Rachel.
It shows us that Jacob did serve.
That he had a particular goal.
That his time was well-spent.
And that his love motivated him in his service.
Body.
Jacob served.
There is no indication at all that he went back on his deal with Laban at all.
It is easy to say you’re going to do the work.
One must also have the commitment to see it through.
He worked for seven years—ultimately 20—and he did so faithfully.
We see an indication later of the kind of work that Jacob did, mainly shepherding
He was playing the long game—remember when he started, he was already 77 y.o.
We have promised to serve the Lord for far long than 7, 14, or 20 years, but for our whole lives (assuming we live that long).
Whenever we serve others, let us do so faithfully.
Jacob had a goal.
His goal was to marry the woman he loved.
This allowed him to focus on his work, realizing that every step he made in service to Laban brought him one step closer to Rachel.
This ended up not being the case right away, but unlike Laban, God keeps His promises.
Our goal is heaven, and if we are in service to God and serve others also, God is faithful to fulfill His promises.
Whenever we have a goal, our service often becomes easier because then we have something achievable we are working toward.
Jacob’s time was well-spent.
Sometimes when I have been tasked with something that I really do not want to do, I think about all the other things I could be doing with my time.
This has the side effect of making the task seem like it is taking much longer than it is—not so with Jacob.
Those seven years “seemed only a few days to him” because he had his goal in mind.
The saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun,” seemed to apply to Jacob—not because he was having fun, but because he longed for the outcome.
For us, these tasks will only seem to get more laborious when our attitude is one of drudgery.
Jacob’s love motivated him.
Do we love to serve?
If we love the people we serve, we will naturally love to serve them.
Love is a powerful concept in the Bible, and we ought to exemplify the love of Christ to all men and especially to our fellow Christians (Galatians 6:9-10).
Jacob loved Rachel so much, it did not matter all that he had to go through to marry her.
Let us love one another, wherein it will be easier for us to serve those whom we love.
Conclusion.
Examining the service that Jacob gave to Laban shows us a great example for our own service.
When we are helping others, serving them, let us
Go through with it, follow through.
Recognize a goal.
Enjoy our time with the right attitude.
Love those whom we serve.
If we do these things, our service will not only be more pleasing to God, but to ourselves and to those whom we serve.