Called to Serve
For all God’s followers, whether you are a recent or a long-time believer, we are all called to serve. As believers we are called to the ministry, acting as stewards of God’s grace by serving others with humility, love and strength that God provides. This calling to serve others is rooted in Christ’s example of serving rather than being served (Matthew 20:28). It is a form of worship, purifying our heart and fostering community.
The purpose of our calling is not for selfish ambition or human applause but to bring glory to our Creator. Each one of us is equipped with specific spiritual gifts to serve others—maybe a gift of encouragement—using words that inspire and uplift others or a gift of generosity sharing resources to help and support others. Service to others is an expression of freedom in God, driven by love rather than obligation (Galatians 5:13). As I mentioned earlier, each of us has at least one gift and it is to be used in humility. For some, they use their gifts for personal ambition of power and control—rather than for the good of our community.
In response to our calling to serve, my wife and I together with fellow believers from Maui, Canada and faithful volunteers from the Philippines, had the honor and privilege to provide free medical, dental and optical services to the residence from various villages in the most southern, Tawi-Tawi, and northern parts in Pangasinan and Laoag City in the Philippines. Our mission volunteer team consisted of nurses, dentists, physicians, pharmacists, optical volunteers and prayer warriors. These various villages we served needed free medical care including free medicines.
Our medical team was especially blessed to provide medical care to the women who have been trafficked over the years. In addition to medical care our team extended prayers, counseling and encouragement. As we listened to the trafficked women’s stories and testimonies during the medical mission—we came to understand their challenges and their need for support, love and encouragement. We are reminded these women are God’s children and deserve our wholehearted respect and agápē love. This is our second medical mission with this group and will not be our last—and we are already planning for next year’s mission. If you are interested to join us during our next medical mission, please feel free to contact me at (808) 357-3842. You do not need a medical degree to be a part of our mission—you just need a servant’s heart and a “calling to serve.”
How are you using your God’s spiritual gifts? Is God calling you to serve your community? I hope your response is to obey and your willingness to share our gifts generously with a joyful heart. When we unite to serve others—we will be a force for good! God bless!
