Not Just One-Off Acts: Embracing a Life of Service.... Like Jesus

Introduction

“In three weeks, I have planned to go on a service trip where I am going to serve others through travelling overseas, teaching, leading people into worship and encouraging them to follow Christ.” 

Many of us have dreamed of this goal or desired to achieve it, hoping to check it off as a way to say we have served God. It also encourages us that we are following what Jesus has asked of us, even as we try to fit it into our busy schedules.

When we read about Jesus in the Gospels, we witness Him walk in a lifestyle of service wherever He went, continually interacting with, teaching, encouraging, healing and helping others in love.   This raises a challenging question: Are we living a life of service, or are we simply fitting acts of service into our schedule?

In this reflection for teachers, schools and in fact all Christians, we’ll explore two perspectives on service:

1. Service as a one-off activity

   
   

2. Service as a way of life modelled by Jesus

   
   

We’ll examine what the Bible says about each view, highlight Jesus’ own acts of service, and provide practical examples for children, students, teachers, and adults. The goal is to encourage us all to follow Jesus’ example of servant leadership in our daily lives.

Service as a One-Off Act: A Common Mindset

It’s common for Christians to think of serving others as something we do on occasion—volunteering at a soup kitchen, participating in an outreach project, or lending a hand during a “Day of Service.” While these acts are valuable, serving was never meant to be merely a scheduled activity. Genuine Christian service is less about when or where we serve, and more about who we are becoming.

The Bible calls believers to integrate service into all of life. “Serve one another humbly in love” (Galatians 5:13, NIV). James 2:17 reminds us that faith without works is dead. Jesus taught that His followers should let their good deeds shine forth daily so that others may glorify God (Matthew 5:16).

If we limit serving to special occasions, we risk missing the fullness of God’s design for Christian living. True service flows from love, not from duty. True service is reflected in every interaction, in everything we do, and in how we speak with others. It encompasses our whole life’s journey.

Jesus’ Example: Service as a Way of Life

When we look at Jesus, we see the ultimate model of continuous servanthood. “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45). Serving others wasn’t on His list of weekly goals—it was His lifestyle. That was why He came. God, the creator of all things, became one of us so He could reveal who God is and show us how He has designed us to live.

Jesus fed thousands (Mark 6:34–44), healed the sick (Luke 5:12–15), washed His disciples’ feet (John 13:1–17), and comforted the broken (Luke 7:11–15). Every moment was filled with compassion and a sense of purpose.

After washing His disciples’ feet, He said, “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you” (John 13:15). In other words, service is our calling, not our option.

Philippians 2:5-7 shows that Jesus, though divine, “took the nature of a servant”. His humility led Him to the cross—the greatest act of service in history. If Christ gave His whole life in service, then our response should be to make service our lifestyle too.

From Occasional Acts to a Lifestyle of Service

Romans 12:1 calls us to “offer [our] bodies as a living sacrifice… this is [our] spiritual act of worship.” This means our everyday life is meant to be service to God.

When we view service as a mindset rather than a moment, we start to notice the needs around us. Jesus was never too hurried to stop for people (Mark 10:46–52). Likewise, we can invite God to interrupt our schedules so that service becomes a natural rhythm of love. When we become conscious of seeing people through God's eyes and speaking His words into their lives, treating them with the actions that God wants them to experience, we both enter into their story and reveal God to them. Through our service, they actually encounter God.

Galatians 6:9-10 urges us not to grow weary in doing good. Every believer—child or adult—is called to a servant heart. As Jesus said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26).

God has created us to live in relationship with Him, and through this relationship, hear from God as He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. We go out with God, filled with His Spirit and led by Him to reveal God to the world. Romans 8:14 states that when we live in this manner, we are authentically living as sons of God. (¹⁴ For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.) Service becomes an adventure as we anticipate that each day we will have encounters with others that will encourage, help, and reveal who God is. Through our words and actions, people will encounter God in and through us.

This shift from event-based service to a life of service changes how we think, teach, and interact. It turns classrooms, staffrooms, and homes into places where service naturally flows. As a community, we are all growing in our understanding of who Jesus is and living our lives in accordance with His example. Service begins to flow naturally every day through Spirit-filled people.

The outworkings of a service-based life are not only powerful, but it is something creation is waiting for us to reveal. In Romans 8, 18-21, we read:

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; ²¹ because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Through a life of service, God will reveal His glory in and through us. Creation is being delivered from the bondage of corruption, and we are bringing liberty to the world as we live a life in relationship with God and are led each day to serve others. As people encounter God through our lives, we are the fragrance of Christ, leading many to life. (2 Corinthians 2:15-16)

Examples of Living a Life of Service in a Christian School

Children / Students

• Helping a classmate who is hurt or sad

• Maintaining eye contact and greeting others with a friendly hello.

• Looking after the school and classroom, and helping others without being asked.

• Praying for friends who are sick.

• Saying hello and playing with others you would usually not play with.

• Being kind and helpful daily—not only for “service hours”

• Supporting someone with their school work.

Teachers and Staff

• Mentoring struggling students

• Saying hello and engaging positively with all staff, students, and parents.

• Praying with or for students and colleagues

• Modelling humility and patience in everyday interactions

• Engaging in conversations with students and letting them know they are important and valued by God and you.

• Showing understanding and listening to others.

Adults and Parents

• Putting family members’ needs before their own (Ephesians 5:21)

• Involving children in regular acts of kindness

• Serving at church consistently and humbly

• Showing compassion in workplaces and neighbourhoods

• Taking time to listen to and encourage others. Acknowledge others.

  
  

When everyone adopts a servant mindset, the Christian school becomes a living picture of God’s kingdom—where “through love, we serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).

Conclusion: Living Out a Servant Life ….Daily

God is calling us into an adventure with Him. As we are filled with His Holy Spirit, and when we ask, we are led into an adventure of serving others and, through this, having those around us encounter Him through our words and actions. Start each morning asking God to fill you with His Spirit, to protect you, to teach you and lead you each day.

Jesus demonstrated that a truly extraordinary life is one poured out in service to others. He calls us to “do as I have done to you” (John 13:15).

Let’s pray for eyes to see needs and hearts ready to respond. Service is not just something we do—it’s who we are in Christ.

Action Challenge

Each morning this week, ask God:

“Who can I serve today?” and "How can I serve?"

Then, as you are led by God, in every action, every word and wherever you go, enter people’s worlds, encourage others and speak God’s words into the lives of everyone you meet. Live a life where you are the aroma of Christ. As you do, service will become your lifestyle and y

our worship. “Whatever you do… do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17).

References

1.      BibleGateway. (2023). Holy Bible, New International Version. Zondervan.

2.      GotQuestions Ministries. (2023). What does it mean that Jesus came to serve, not to be served? Available at: https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-came-to-serve.html [Accessed 11 Oct. 2025].

3.      Nelson, M. (2023). What Does It Mean to Be a Servant Like Jesus? 

4.      Crosswalk.com. Available at: https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-servant-like-jesus.html [Accessed 11 Oct. 2025].

5.      St James’ Anglican School. (2023). Service Learning at St James’. Available at: https://www.stjames.wa.edu.au/ [Accessed 11 Oct. 2025].

6.      The Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV). (2011). Zondervan.