Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people,
Ephesians 6:7 (NIV)
Serving
The Public Service of Canada (known as the Civil Service of Canada prior to 1967) is the civilian workforce of the Government of Canada’s departments, agencies, and other public bodies. While the Government of Canada has employed civil servants to support its functions since Confederation in 1867, positions were initially filled through patronage until 1908, when the Laurier government enacted the Public Service Amendment Act, which established the merit-based appointment system which governs hiring within the federal public service today. As of 2020, the Public Service employs 300,450 people, and is Canada’s largest single employer.
***
I love being around servers. They find such great joy in serving others, and pour themselves into making the lives of those around them comfortable and enjoyable. While Romans 12 lists serving among the motivational gifts within the Body of Christ, and some people are gifted by the Holy Spirit as servers, all followers of Jesus are called to serve others. Paul writes this in Ephesians 6:7: “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people”. In a day when people are loudly crying out for their rights, the follower of Jesus is called to something altogether different – putting others ahead of themselves. Just as Jesus came in order to die in our place, we who follow Him are called to lay down our lives, our rights, our privileges, in order to serve others. Just as those who are gifted by the Holy Spirit as servers find their greatest joy in meeting the needs of others, all of us should serve our servant Lord by daily looking for ways we can lay down our lives for those who need to experience the love of Jesus.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley