HELPING PEOPLE DEVELOP A MEANINGFUL LIFE (part 4)

People Are Shaped for Service
God created each of us to serve him, and in the church, we call that ministry. The Bible teaches that one of the reasons we were created is to serve God by serving others.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.  Ephesians 2:10 (NASB)

Every Christian is created to serve, and that means we are called to ministry, created for ministry, saved for ministry, and uniquely gifted for ministry. The Bible makes it very clear that every Christian is a minister, regardless of age.

This series of posts began with the declaration that people are looking for meaning in life.  People who volunteer, when asked why they volunteer, often say that volunteering (serving) is meaningful to them.  In short, it helps them to find the answer to the question, “Why am I here?”

Our desperate need to have a life with meaning is demonstrated in a fictional character on a popular TV show.  In the third season of the TV show House MD, a homeless old guy (played by Geoffrey Lewis) who has come to the hospital to die says:

 “If I die in peace, then I'm just another patient. But if I die suffering... I just need to die, knowing that something is different because I was here.”  

This man was willing to die in extreme pain because he believed it would cause the doctor, the only person with any type of relationship with him, to remember him.

To develop a meaningful life, people need opportunities where they can serve and have a sense of success. We can help people find meaning in life by guiding them to volunteer in various areas of ministry.  Create meaningful events where people can volunteer.  

As caring Christians we need to remember that ministry is not limited to the property where the church meets.  The most effective ministries most often take place away from the church building.
                                  
The God of the universe shaped each of us to serve, and we can start right now.  The earlier people start to serve, the sooner they will begin to experience Christ-like service.  This type of service will develop within each of us a sense of meaning to our life.