Spanish 
"Our Motivation" from the Summer 2017 Vision Newsletter
What does it mean to truly serve someone? There are many different expressions our serving can take when we try to help someone who needs it. The idea of serving someone is not just a religious ideal. Many people who are not religious see the need to serve those around them because it is the morally right thing to do or because it promotes unity and love among people. As Christians, our motivation to serve others can also touch on doing the right thing and promoting unity and love, but there is also a deeper element to it: we serve because of Christ.
Christ came to earth as the ultimate servant. His motivation? To do His Father’s will to offer salvation to all people. When we serve others, we also want to have Christ’s motivation, that we make God’s offer of salvation known to them and that they experience the love of Christ. Jesus was able to stay true to His Father’s will because of His love for the ones He came to save. His love for all people is pure. One of the greatest examples of His pure love is when He is hanging on the cross and asks His Father to forgive those who persecuted Him. In order to truly serve those around us and to live our lives according to God’s will, we must also have pure love in our hearts. An example of such a servant was noticed by one of our members. Recently, one of our sisters passed away due to cancer. During her life, she touched many people, but made a special impression on one particular person. This person was inspired to reach out to her family to let them know the impact she had on him. His testimony is shared below:
She is a mother to me. The many sacrifices she made through the many years are so significant that I can’t imagine our lives if it was not for her kindness and love. Her actions and examples, without lectures or preaching, restore my faith continuously even in the most difficult times. I owe the life that I know to her. Many wonderful people have touched my life, but none as decisively as she has. I love her, not because of what she did, but because of who she is. A true mother. My tears are of gratefulness for what goes way beyond what can be seen.
We can see that the way this sister lived her life and served those around her made such an impact on this man’s life, that he is forever changed because of her. Through this man’s testimony, we can see the result of what it means to be a true servant to those around us. The love she had for others and her love for Jesus Christ filled her completely. When we serve others, we also want to have pure love in our hearts as we strive to do our Father’s will.
What if love isn’t our motivation? Some may think that one of the results of our serving others is to bring them into our congregation, to hear the divine Word and partake in the sacraments. While this is always a nice outcome, this result cannot be our motivation. The success of our serving is not defined by the number of people we encourage to come to our church. Whether one accepts our invitation to come to church or not, we are called to love them regardless. This love shows that we are not focused on visible success, such as an increase in people who come to our church. Rather, we are focused solely on serving others.
Sometimes God tests us and wants to see if we really love others as He does. When we serve others, we hope that maybe they will come to experience God in our church. But if we do not see this outcome, we may start to cast blame – on ourselves or the people we are trying to serve. This is proof that our love is not sincere. We are maybe only looking for success, or glory, or self-satisfaction. The true focus of our serving must always be love, so that we love others no matter what happens, no matter what the outcome is, no matter if we never see them again.
When our motivation is our Father’s will and the love of Jesus fills us, then we can serve others out of His love so that they may also be filled. We want others to experience what we have experienced and so we share Jesus with them, knowing that He is the one who has the power to transform their lives.
*This article is based on thoughts from Chief Apostle Schneider.