Humbleness and Service

Inspired Bible Book: James

This spring break I had the opportunity to go on a service trip with my small group. We went to a very small rural town called La Vernia, Texas. The population was maybe a little bigger than my high school. This trip taught me so many things that I did not know about myself or other people.

If you know me then you know I am not someone who likes to get their hands dirty. Matter of fact, I am quite the opposite. My nails are usually done, my hair is clean and the edges are laid. I belong and thrive in the city. When my friends first proposed going on this trip I did not want to go. I mean even the thought of sleeping outside was enough to terrify me. Somehow, someway I ended up going and I do not regret it.

“So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” -- James 2:17

Lately, I have been reading James and something he highlights throughout the whole book is the fact that faith without works is dead. Before this trip, I thought I knew what that verse meant. I would give, donate, and volunteer. And honestly, I think that is where many Christians today have drawn a line. We are able to do these things freely but there is always a point where we are not willing to do something regardless of who benefits. For me, it was getting dirty and doing hard labor. For others, it may be money or comfort. Although, if we are not willing to lay it all down it puts a selfish intention behind everything we are doing. For example, in high school, I would volunteer for hours. I graduated with over 200 hours of volunteer service. I would help teachers, students, and local businesses. Overall, you would assume that I liked helping others and building my community. This is true, but there was also selfish intention. I wanted people to notice me, I wanted more honors during graduation, and I wanted to make myself feel better. Through these things, I never gave all of myself towards an activity I was doing. My “works” were not a true depiction of my faith.

During the trip, I learned that our works are a physical representation of our faith. Because I believe in Jesus and the gospel he shared, I will depict that in my own life. James gives the example of Abraham. Abraham was a man who clearly believed in God. He was able to lay down so many things for Him. He moved from city to city doing as God told Him. And when God told him to sacrifice his only son, he did not withhold. Abraham did not have a boundary of his life that did not belong to God. Most people would probably not do that, which is understandable. But, Abraham being willing to do so was a symbol of his true faith in God. In my life, I am willing to donate money, donate items, and volunteer my time. But I am not willing to do an extraneous activity or put myself in a situation out of my comfort zone. That is a boundary I have set that furthers me from my community and God. Is there a level where you are not willing to go despite God calling you to do so? The thing about service trips is they are not about you. During this whole experience, nothing was about me and the way I felt. It was about helping other people and using this time to glorify God.

A wise person is someone whose whole faith in God leads to selfless works.

James calls us to strive for godly wisdom. This is not like earthly wisdom. That has a selfish intention and jealousy behind it. But godly wisdom is pure, impartial, and sincere. A trait of these wise people is that their faith in God leads to selfless works. If your faith in God is as secure as you believe it to be then there would be an outward expression of that. Sometimes, I do not want to do things but we must set ourselves aside to do the work for others and the kingdom.

A person is justified by works and not by faith alone. When Christ returns he will say “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35). If we choose to believe and never to serve then our faith will have been something to give us mental comfort but not something we truly believed in. During this trip, I broke a boundary of my life that I did not let God in. I slept on cold hard floors, I did not take good showers, and I got really dirty. But through that experience, I helped a community, made new friends, and got to have great conversations. Being humbled in a way we never have been before, gives us the ability to understand more of Jesus’s heart and the message he tells us to share.

"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" -- Mark 10:45

Service coincides with humbleness to ultimately removes the barriers of comfort we have set for ourselves to separate us from God. Our works can be used as a measure of our faith if we use godly wisdom behind them. We all must strive to help others and build each other. We are called under one body and one spirit and must do all we can to treat each other with love and kindness.

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" -- John 13:35

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Helpful Links:

Bible: https://www.biblegateway.com/

UTSA Chi Alpha: https://www.sachialpha.com/

Service Trips: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1265&context=etd#:~:text=Service%20trips%20are%20important%20aspects,attempt%20to%20help%20and%20aid.