Are you addicted to godly service?
You should be addicted to godly service because this is the most Christlike of all the attributes of Jesus.
So when he had washed their feet, put his outer garment back on, and sat down again, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me, ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord.’ You say so correctly, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Most certainly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his lord, neither one who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. (John 13:12-17 KJV)
After this, he asked them if they knew what he had done. They didn’t have a clue. Neither do most Christians. But, if you are a Bible student who has read the life and times of Jesus and the writings of the Apostle Paul to the church, you should understand what Jesus did. Therefore, you should be addicted to serving one another. Some churches have made a religious ritual of foot washing, which totally misses the the point. Jesus was taking the place of the lowliest servant to care for the disciples.
- In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
- You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
- Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,
Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11 WEB)
Do you follow people who are addicted to service?
At the very end of the first letter to the Corinthians. After dealing with sin after sin and failure after failure. Paul highlighted the behavior of one family who had remained faithful throughout the 3-5 years since they were saved. You can be this family.
I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth. (1 Corinthians 16:15-16 MSG)
Would you do me a favor, friends, and give special recognition to the family of Stephanas? You know, they were among the first converts in Greece, and they’ve put themselves out, serving Christians ever since then. I want you to honor and look up to people like that: companions and workers who show us how to do it, giving us something to aspire to. (1 Corinthians 16:15-16 MSG)
You remember the household of Stephanas, the first men of Achaia to be won for Christ? Well, they have made up their minds to devote their lives to looking after Christian brothers. I do beg you to recognise them as Christ’s ministers, and to extend your recognition to all their helpers and workers. (1 Corinthians 16:15-16 PHILIPS)
You know that Stephanas and his household were the first of the harvest of believers in Greece, and they are spending their lives in service to God’s people. I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, to submit to them and others like them who serve with such devotion. I am very glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have come here. They have been providing the help you weren’t here to give me. They have been a wonderful encouragement to me, as they have been to you. You must show your appreciation to all who serve so well. (1 Corinthians 16:15-16 NLT)
Do you know people who are addicted to godly service like this? They are headed in the right direction. You should follow them.
wow. I agree with the first comment. I was doing a google search on addiction to service and landed on your article as I was writing a newsletter on my experience after my husband and I came home after a serve day with my church yesterday with our energy tanks depleted and experiencing the aftereffects of “losing yourself in service” at the expense of our bodies.
this is really familiar to me and I’m shooting myself for allowing it to happen again as I’ve done a lot of work and growth to understand the under lying beliefs that drive this addiction.
It took burnout, thyroid cancer and several other health challenges for me to give myself permission to step back & say NO and realize that I was sacrificing myself in service because of this learned conditioning.
It was clear to me that the reason I did not STOP & listen to my body wisdom yesterday was because I saw everyone else still working, not taking breaks, spending themselves… how could I sit on the tail gate of my truck taking a longer break? Putting my needs ahead of theirs? All the old stories start surfacing, but this decision to re-engage and keep working was not motivated in love. It was motivated by fear. fear of not being perceived as Christlike enough.
What will they think of me? I better get back up.
I had to personally call, “hands up” to a few women to get them to stop and take a lunch break, because they were caught in this trap of addiction, aka empathy trap, seeing that there were still so many needs we hadn’t gotten to that still needs to be done…
The problem with this mindset is that it is not the mindset of God.
God does not see us as needy and lacking, he sees us as WHOLE and the redeemed version of ourselves.
As long as we view others as needy, we shrink down into a mindset of lack and will find ourselves serving from a place of compulsion & attempting to rescue them, to save them…
This is not genuine altruism because it is not aligned with the heart of God.
We are serving out of our own trauma, our own unmet need, instead of the fullness of LOVE.
I see so many women caught in this addictive habit & they are dealing with autoimmune diseases, depression, anxiety and so much more.
service is a beautiful thing when it is done from the heart of God.
in love, not out of compulsion
& with healthy boundaries in place
but too many Christians SPEND themselves in service
are depleted
& sick because of it
It is time to stop applauding people for this addiction and patting them on the back and preaching this message from the pulpit and then pray for their healing in the next breath.
Self-sacrifice always leads to death so I guess if we are going to preach addiction then we shouldn’t be surprised when we attend their funerals.
I get it. I’ve been here. I understand where you are coming from, but I can no longer get behind it.
Greetings Kate,
Thank you for taking the time to write and give this example.
I agree that we need to be very careful about our motivation. I agree with your comment, if someone is motivated by “fear of not being perceived as Christlike enough,” then they are on dangerous ground, probably outside the will of God. But if someone is motivated with true love for one another, as you said, “done from the heart of God,” then they are going to be rewarded in this life and that which is to come (1 Timothy 4:8) because Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35).
Please consider these previous posts:
Your servant in Christ,
David
I think you are taking this out of context. Addiction is not a good thing, even if it is an addition to doing good things. I think it’s good to have a habit of serving God and doing His will; however, addiction is just the opposite. Addiction is serving the thing and giving yourself to the thing for the positive reinforcement it gives back to you. When you are addicted to something, your life revolves around finding ways to get the “Hit” you got last time. If you love helping people in struggling marriages, you will have an eye for struggling marriages and other marriages won’t interest you because they don’t serve your addiction. When you are talking to people who aren’t struggling, you will be distracted and want to move on to some other couple who is more in need of your help.
You won’t be present, as your addiction will drive you to do whatever it takes to get that feeling that you made a difference in someone’s life. If will not only make you feel more present, but those receiving the help will say nice things about you and that too will make you feel better about yourself.
Instead of addiction, you should be 100% dedicated to doing what God has called you to do. Do not seek any attention for what you’ve done. Always point any positive feedback back to God. When you are in a conversation with someone, be 100% present. Listen to them intently. Don’t try to FIX them to feed your need to feel helpful. Only do what God tells you to do, and don’t expect any rewards.
Greetings Dr. Jim,
I appreciate you taking the time to write. And I appreciate your medical perspective on the words “addiction” which has an almost universally bad connotation in our modern society. But we need to understand that the word itself has two meanings:
1. a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity having harmful physical, psychological, or social effects and typically causing well-defined symptoms (such as anxiety, irritability, tremors, or nausea) upon withdrawal or abstinence : the state of being addicted
– Alcohol addiction
– Addiction to prescription painkillers
– Drug addictions
– Gambling addiction
2. a strong inclination to do, use, or indulge in something repeatedly –Merriam-Webster Dictionary
– Activities that enhance one’s well-being and happiness
– Habits that are self-reinforcing and rewarding
– Behaviors that are not harmful to oneself or others
– Examples: exercise, meditation, reading, learning
Stephanas and his household (vv. 15-18) were the first people to be won to Christ in Achaia, and Paul had baptized them himself, instead of leaving it to one of his helpers (1 Cor. 1:16). They became important leaders in the church, for they “devoted themselves” to Christ’s service. The verb means “they appointed themselves,” but it does not suggest that they pushed their way into leadership. Rather, whenever they saw a need, they went to work to meet it without waiting to be asked. They were Paul’s helpers, and they labored (“toiled to the point of exhaustion”) for the Lord. What a wonderful thing it is when an entire family serves the Lord faithfully in the local church. 1 Corinthians 16:15 –The Wiersbe Bible Study Series 1 Corinthians: Discern the Difference Between Man’s Knowledge and God’s Wisdom
The second reason Paul gives for urging the Corinthians to submit to “such people” is that the household of Stephanas “devoted themselves to the service of the saints.” The word “devoted” (ἔταξαν) refers to the ordering or arranging of matters or people. That is, this household determined that they would dedicate themselves to the service of God’s people. On many occasions Paul has indicated that service and humility are needed among the Corinthians and that these great attributes stand in stark contrast to those who are proud and elitist in their attitudes and behavior toward others. To “subject yourselves to such people” (ὑποτάσσω) in all their hard work of service for the church of Christ is surely to follow their lead. This is the leadership of servants whose way of life reflects the attitude of heart and mind that Paul has advocated throughout the letter. Families like this see no room for pride or distinctions among people as they work together with other workers for the benefit of the saints and the Lord (cf. 2 Cor 8:23). There is an irony here that the Corinthians are called upon to submit themselves to people who already devoted themselves to serving the Corinthians! Such is the way of God’s people, for “love does not boast . . . [and] is not self-seeking” (13:4-5)! 1 Corinthians 16:15 –Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament
Therefore, I want to double-down on the usage of the word addicted in this article.
However, I commend your points on motivation and would like to point you to these related posts:
• Are you addicted to religious praise and approval? – If religious praise and approval provide so much short-term pleasure that you repeat certain behaviors just to obtain the stimulation, you are addicted
• Ten considerations before appointing church leaders – The importance of taking time to approve church leaders, which ensures godly, faithful, experienced, proven leadership
• Biblical Instructions for godly leadership – Throughout history godly leadership strives to feed the flock but ungodly leadership seeks position, authority, and wealth