Xavier Language club, Tulane ROTC, Dillard Auxiliary Services, Omicron Lambda Omega, Kappa Alpha Psi all have something in common. They volunteer and they all came to the community garden to do it! We are only a small slice of volunteer bases so that tells you there are many more are spending their time productively helping complete strangers.

It’s kind of new to me. From high school through grad school there were very few organized opportunities to serve. The philosophy was study hard and then after you’re done with school your contribution to society can begin. That’s definitely not the case today. I’ve had grade school age kids looking to fill their service hours. Increasingly educational institutions recognize learning can’t happen in a vacuum, and perhaps that being generous with time and ability is a learned thing not an automatic thing.

Serving is a good thing. I would even say it’s a Biblical thing. We are called to serve.  Galatians 5:13 says, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” Academic institutions get that to some degree.  It isn’t automatic, that’s why it has to be commanded. The world is becoming so fiercely individualized that it increasingly has to be organized, and planned.  The sinful nature can resort to such a self focus it can neglect everything around it in the name of self fulfillment. It’s the other type of vacuum that sucks everything up for itself, it’s time, it’s resources, everything. Institutions know that’s neither healthy nor sustainable.

We’ve been spiritually equipped (by the Spirit through sermons, Bible Study, devotions, etc.). By Christ’s blood we are children of God alive with the Spirit learning what our new status means in life. Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” It might feel unnatural to do it at times, and it might seem like a burden to do it, but that’s because good works aren’t automatic. They had to be given to us, prepared for us to do. The danger is that we can become Christians so equipped to understand the needs of the world, but never putting ourselves in a position where we can address those needs. There’s the temptation to be like a spiritual strong man who would rather build his spiritual muscles to show them off, but become unconcerned or even annoyed with the weak who can’t carry their own spiritual baggage.

There’s no ambiguity about it. God did not put us on reserve for good works. He made you a productive part of God’s Kingdom right now! In this individualized world, it may mean being intentional about serving, but use that God given strength to show the weak you are willing to meet them where their burdens have kept them.