A Servant’s Heart

The Path to Christ-Like Service

A Devotional Study of
1 Peter 4: 7 – 11

By Kara H. Duckworth

Week 5: Serving Others With Love

Week 5: Serving Others With Love

 {Day 1} Above All …Love

Read: 1 Peter 4: 8a; 1 Corinthians 13:13

“Above all, maintain an intense love for each other …” (HCS)

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (NIV)

Jesus told the woman whose chronic bleeding disorder was healed, that her faith had made her well. He marveled
that a Roman centurion had faith that his daughter would be healed from a distance at Jesus’ word. He healed a
paralytic when He saw that the man’s friends had faith. In so many of Jesus’ interactions, He emphasized faith or
the lack of it. Obviously, Jesus placed great importance on faith. In fact, Hebrews 11: 6a says “…without faith it is
impossible to please God.”

But there’s something even more important.

Nothing is more damaging to the human spirit than crushed hopes. Proverbs 13:12 puts it this way: “Hope
deferred makes the heart sick.” We know this to be true. We’ve seen it play out so many times in those who are
depressed and suicidal. Hope = meaning in life. Isaiah the prophet ties hope to strength and vitality {40:31}. In
Hebrews 6:19, we learn that the hope of heaven is “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Along with faith,
hope is an essential component of our lives as Christians.

But there’s something even more important.

Yes, you must exhibit faith; yes, you must live in hope. But the preeminent characteristic in the life of a Christian is
greater than either of these.

The greatest of these is love.

A Pharisee, a lawyer, came to Jesus and asked a gotcha question about the Law. “Teacher, which is the greatest
commandment in the Law?” {Luke 22:36} Jesus’ profound answer economically sums up the theme of the Old
Testament: love God; love people.

Because nothing is greater than love.

Above all. Above all, Peter says, we love.

Ponder: Are faith, hope, and love the foundation of your life? Can you trace your
acts of service to love, or is there some other motivation?

Pray: Ask God to root your service in love.

Week 5: Serving Others With Love

{Day 2} Maintenance
Read: 1 Peter 4: 8a; 1 Corinthians 13:4 - 7
“Above all, maintain an intense love for each other …” (HCS)

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant.” (ESV)

It seems like no one ever cheers for the reigning champion. We’re much more inclined to cheer for the underdog.
The story of overcoming great odds or making a comeback from a great deficit has so much more energy, doesn’t
it?

And from the point of view of the champion, it was far easier to be motivated by reaching the top than by
maintaining championship status. How do you maintain dominance in your sport?

Remember how excited you were as you planned that gorgeous remodel? From taking down that wall, to
repainting, to choosing flooring, to buying the new furniture, and to searching for the perfect accessories. Now
you’re washing, vacuuming, dusting, polishing, replacing bulbs, and dry cleaning. What’s your maintenance
schedule like?

You set a goal for your weight loss. You consulted with a nutritionist, joined weight watchers, bought a fitbit,
tracked everything on an app. Your support group cheered you on. Now, you’ve reached your goal weight. How do
you maintain it?

“Maintain” indicates there will be some effort involved. Probably a great amount of effort. It indicates this is
something that doesn’t come naturally, but that you need to do something to keep it up.

Maintaining top physical performance, maintaining a home, and maintaining weight loss are nothing compared to
maintaining relationships. Relationships are a moving target. They involve a human variable you can’t control.

Peter says we must place the highest importance on maintaining loving relationships. Immediately, our minds go
to a spouse, a boyfriend, or a family member. And it does take work to maintain those loving relationships. But
let’s take it in a different direction for now. What about working relationships? Or neighbor relationships? Or in-
law relationships? Or ministry partner relationships? Can they be considered “loving”?

God means for them to be. And if we apply His definition of love, we can see if we’re maintaining His standard in
all our relationships.

Maintenance doesn’t have to be drudgery; but it will require some work.

Ponder: Think of one or two people in each category of relationships mentioned

above. Ask yourself some pointed questions: Have I been patient with _____?
Have I been kind? Have I envied them? Have I bragged in front of them? Have I
come across as arrogant? Rude? Demanding? Irritable? Have I held onto things
done against me in the past? Have I been truthful? Have I been loyal,
supportive, hopeful, and trusting?

Pray: Ask God to forgive you where you haven’t maintained loving relationships.
Ask Him to fill you with love for others.

Week 5: Serving Others With Love

{Day 3} Maintain the Relationship
Read: 1 Peter 4: 8a; Exodus 34: 4 – 7; Psalm 136
“Above all, maintain an intense love for each other …” (HCS)

“I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.” (NLT)

Recently, my husband and I were renting a car and got to chatting with the sales associate that was helping us. As
we playfully bantered, Jerry asked how long we’d been married. That’s when we realized we’re coming up on our
30th wedding anniversary.

“What’s your secret?” Jerry asked. We were taken aback. No one had ever asked us that.

Thought process: Oh! We’ve reached that age, huh? Hmmm… well, we haven’t killed each other yet, though there
are times … Nope, better give him a straight answer.

“Our marriage is based on our relationship to God,” my husband answered him. “As long as each of us is growing
closer to God, we’re also growing closer to each other.”

“We often say ‘no’ to things that would cause us to be apart a lot,” I added. “And from the beginning, we just
made the choice that divorce wasn’t an option. We were planning on the long term. That means there’s lots of
forgiving. You know, love covers a multitude of sins.” {Dear Reader, Hint! Hint! You will see more about this phrase
soon!}

Apparently, Jerry wasn’t a believer, but was intrigued and seemed to thoughtfully consider our answers.

When God met up with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave His bio. He described Himself as overflowing with
“steadfast love and faithfulness” and maintaining that love for thousands of generations. In Psalm 136, the
Psalmist repeats the refrain, “His love endures forever.”

God doesn’t take relationships casually. He deliberately chooses to love; and He maintains love for the long-term.

It’s a choice: We love deliberately. It’s about focus: We love faithfully. It’s about eternity: We love enduringly.

Maintain that kind of love.

Ponder: You may be married; or you may be single. Think about your closest loving relationships.
What do you do or what can you do to maintain them?

Dream a Little: You may be concerned that your work or your ministry involvement will take you away from
your family or friends a lot. What can you do to make them feel a part of your ministry even
though you’ll be away from them?

Pray: Ask God to help you balance maintaining your closest relationships with your ministry
opportunities. Ask Him to show you how you can involve your family or other loved ones so you can
honor them while honoring Him.

Week 5: Serving Others With Love

 {Day 4} Intensity
Read: 1 Peter 4: 8a
“Above all, maintain an intense love for each other …” (HCS)

239. That’s my current number of Facebook friends. A pretty modest number in terms of Facebook standards.

Dear Facebook Friends,

I cannot keep track of 239 of you. I love seeing your pictures. I enjoy watching the funny videos and memes you post. I’m so
glad you’re enjoying your birthday/vacation/new baby/food. I just don’t have time for the back and forth commenting with all
239 of you. I’m so sorry. I guess what I’m saying is that I can’t maintain an intense friendship with each of you.

Wistfully, …

I have several categories of Facebook friends. First are the “mutual friends.” For the most part, these are friends of my
daughters, most of whom I’ve met, that sometimes post about things that involve my daughters. Part of my espionage network.
There are “throwback friends” that are folks from my hometown that I probably went to school with and haven’t seen since
then. We have a common history and know the same people and places. “Work friends” include teachers and school staff and
parents of my students. Then, there’s a category I’d call “reachout friends.” These are people I’m just getting to know and
either they or I reached out to connect on Facebook.

In the old days, none of these probably would have made the Christmas Card List.

But then come the upper echelons of Facebook friendom. There are three categories here, which may have some overlap. First
are the “BFF’s” – those few friends in each stage of my life that I would never want to lose contact with, that I’ve spent the
most time with, and that I would travel anywhere to see. Some of these are also in the next category, “ministry friends.” These
are people I’ve served side-by-side with, doing kingdom work. Finally, there’s my “family,” which is pretty self-explanatory.

In our focal passage, Peter doesn’t simply say to love one another or even just to maintain your love for others. He inserts an
adjective that seems nearly impossible, unattainable. Intense. Maintain an intense love for each other. How many “each
others” did you mean, Peter? Is 239 too great a number?

Intensity connotes some measure of time spent with or some measure of focus on a relationship. At various points in my life,
God brought each of these people into my path. For a weekend, a month, a school year, several years, or longer, each of these
people was a part of my story. There was some intensity of interaction. Hopefully, each felt an intensity of Godly love.

In the next couple of days, we’ll explore what intensity looked like in Jesus’ relationships.

Ponder: What does your social media friendom look like? What categories of people are you
connected with? What’s your intensity of relationship with them?

Dream a Little: Have you added or do you think you will be adding to your friend list as you
prepare for and work at Flourish 414? There will be an intense period of time that
you’ll interact with these people. Will there be some lasting connections?

Pray: Ask God to open your heart to new relationships. Ask Him to help you focus
intently on each person He brings into your path. Ask Him to allow His love to pour
out through you.

Week 5: Serving Others With Love

 {Day 5} Intense With Jesus
Read: 1 Peter 4: 8a; Mark 10: 17 – 22; Luke 19: 1 - 10
“Above all, maintain an intense love for each other …” (HCS)

“Jesus looked at him and loved him” (NIV)

Just passing through. Sometimes in Jesus’ ministry, He had pretty quick encounters with people. They reached out
to Him in a crowd or He touched them in one of His marathon healing sessions. We don’t get to know most of
these by name; but I’m sure each one felt the intensity of His gaze, His touch, His love. For that moment, there was
no one else in the world, as one little drama unfolded.

Luke recorded that Jesus was just passing through Jericho; but then he went on to give greater detail about an
encounter Jesus had there with a tax collector named Zaccheus. We’re led to believe that Zaccheus captured Jesus’
attention from amongst the crowd because he had climbed into a tree for a better view. Truth is, Jesus would have
found Zaccheus even had he been hidden. Zaccheus’ perch was probably for the benefit of those watching, so they
would see how Jesus loved him intensely. We’re not sure how long Jesus spent with Zaccheus. We do know that
Jesus shared a meal in Zaccheus’ home.

Did Zaccheus feel loved by Jesus? Jesus sought him out, honored him by entering his house, praised him for having
a repentant heart, and affirmed his salvation in front of everyone. I’m sure he must have felt loved. He probably
never stopped talking about that encounter until the day he died. Did Jesus meet with Zaccheus periodically or
check in with him? Not that we know of.

Mark related an episode where a rich young man came up to Jesus one day as He was passing through on the way
to Jerusalem. The man wanted to know what he needed to do in order to be saved. In answer, Jesus quoted
several of the Ten Commandments to him. Heartened, the man shared that he had been keeping the
commandments all his life. At this point in the exchange, Mark said, “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” Jesus
loved the man’s obedience, his heart for wanting to do what was right. But Jesus also must have felt that his next
statement was going to push the man away. He knew the man wasn’t going to choose Him; but loving meant
letting him choose. Jesus told the man he was lacking something: trust. If he would trust Jesus to provide for his
needs, he would be saved. The man went away sad because he trusted in his wealth more than he trusted the One
Who could give him everything.

Both of these men had intense encounters with Jesus. For a bit of time, He was focused solely on them. They felt
the intensity of His love; but each chose a different response. In spite of how each responded to Him, Jesus’ love
remained the same.

You have brief, seemingly random, encounters with people every day. You’ll have many encounters at Flourish
414. As you minister to each, some will accept with joy what you have to say; others will walk away troubled or
sad. Don’t let their response to you change the intensity of your love.

Ponder: Have you ever shared the gospel with someone and they accepted it with
great joy? Have you ever shared the gospel with someone and they rejected it?

Pray: Ask God to help you hear people’s hearts and to help you love them because
of or in spite of what you hear.