Maximum Service
Today’s Verse:
Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; ~Romans 12:11
The word maximum means best, highest, or utmost. It is the upper limit or greatest amount of something. When applied to service, it implies the very best and second to none. Companies that are committed to customer service want their customers to experience superior service from start to finish. They want to be ahead of the competition and remembered for their excellence. When it comes to putting our spiritual gifts to use and serving the Lord, Romans 12:11 describes for us what I call maximum service.
The maximum servant is industrious.
“Not slothful in business.” Slothful implies being lazy, inactive, indolent, slow, lagging, lethargic, and very indifferent. Maximum service demands that we are active, busy, and hard-working. Slothfulness leads to delay, decay, and failure. Being industrious means we are diligent and disciplined. Most things that are done very well require much preparation time, much forethought, and a plan of action. We just can’t show up to something and expect that things will happen. We must put as much effort into the preparation as the actual execution. Be someone who avoids idle time, who is given to detail, and who manages what you do to give powerful results.
The maximum servant is intense.
“Fervent in spirit.” We are to be a peculiar people, zealous of good works. David said that the king’s business required haste. Being fervent in spirit means we are energetic, excited, enthused, and fiery about what we do. We must put all our effort into what we do. When the Lord and two angels came to meet Abraham at his tent, Abraham ran to meet them. He further hasted and got a fatted calf. He instructed Sarah and his servants to run and make haste. Caleb was a man who was fervent in spirit. At the age of 80, he asked Joshua to allow him to claim his mountain inheritance and to rid the area of the Anakim giants. When David confronted the giant Goliath, he ran to meet him. Being fervent in spirit applies to everything we do. We should depict servants who are on fire and ready to do something great for God.
The maximum servant is inspired.
“Serving the Lord.” A maximum servant is inspired and highly motivated because he is serving the Lord. The highest motivation is knowing that we are serving our Lord. The Lord deserves our best. There is no time, distance, or effort limitation when it comes to serving the Lord. It is a joy to serve our Lord in whatever way we can. The difference between maximum service and mediocre service is realizing Who we are serving. Jesus gives us the prime example of maximum service in the feeding of the multitudes. His disciples told the Lord to send them away to get their own food. Jesus asked how many loaves the disciples had. When five loaves and two fishes were identified as being available, He blessed this simple menu and had His men distribute it. I imagine that these tired disciples were half-hearted about this. Yet, even years later, they would remember this incident to motivate them to always give their best and their all when serving our Lord.
Let us be at our maximum when it comes to serving our Lord. Don’t cut corners or pan off to others what should be a blessing for you to do.
Have a maximized God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Matthew 5-6