Serving is emptying and freeing

Jesus says in Mark 10, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Then, later, the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus that someone who is a bondservant of Jesus does not serve as "eye-pleasing" acts of kindness for people to see, but rather as a servant of the most-high God "from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man." Jesus, our creator, savior, and friend, was the ultimate servant. His servanthood was characterized as GIVING of his life for the many. After spending the day in the Twin Cities with four youth from our church, I have a new outlook on serving as an act of giving. It was one of the most freeing things in the world to be able to go into a service project having nobody to please but God. After giving of my energy, my time, and money, I am completely drained and lacking physical energy. On the other hand, I cannot hardly wait to speak the Word of God to people tomorrow at our worship time. When you give willingly and generously, you will be filled again so that you can continue to give. I have such a long way to go as a true servant of Jesus Christ. My prayer, as I continue to go down this road of "leaving it all on the field", is that my service in His name will be characterized by a constant cycle of freely being emptied so that He alone can fill me with the capacity to freely be emptied once again for His sake, in His way, and in His timing. Imagine that! A life that is best spent is the life that is most freely given away for Jesus' sake. Who else can be trusted to fill you back up with what you need?