The Measure of True Service
True service is not measured by activity but by the humility and life of Jesus flowing through us.
Devotional Credit: Open Windows by T. Austin-Sparks
Photo Credit: Unsplash
In today’s devotional, T. Austin-Sparks leads us into a crucial distinction between what people often call “Christian service” and what is in fact genuine service to the Lord. So much of what we label service is simply activity: meetings, speaking, organizing, and endless busyness. Yet Sparks shows us that real service is something deeper, quieter, and more transformative. It is about the emancipation of people from the grip of this world into a life yielded to Jesus, and their formation into His likeness for a heavenly vocation now, not merely later.
This teaching compels us to measure service not by volume of activity but by fruit that remains. Sparks explains that true service liberates and transforms. If those entrusted to our influence are not being freed from bondage or being conformed to Christ, then our labor, however busy, may fall short of God’s purpose. The question then becomes, are we producing activity or are we allowing the Spirit of Jesus to form His life in others through us?
He warns of the dangers of substituting religious activity for true service. Feverish activity can stir pride, self-importance, and jealousy over position. By contrast, real service demands meekness, patience, and self-emptying. These are the very virtues of Jesus described in Philippians 2, where He, though fully God, humbled Himself to take the role of a servant. Sparks calls us to measure service not by what it brings to us, but by how much of Jesus’ humility and selflessness flows through us.
This message is a sobering yet freeing reminder that what God values is not the noise of busyness but the quiet fruit of transformation. By His Spirit, we are invited into a life of abiding service, where every act yields to the Lord’s life within us, shaping us and those around us into His likeness.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
My child, do not measure your service by how much you do, but by how much of Jesus is being expressed in you. Real service is not about activity, but about fruit. It is about people being freed from the grip of sin and formed into My Son’s likeness.
Remember the humility of Jesus. Though He was God, He laid aside His rights and took the form of a servant. He did not cling to His place, but emptied Himself and became obedient to death on a cross. In Him you see the pattern of true service.
When you yield to Me, I produce patience in you, meekness in you, and the willingness to empty yourself so that others may be lifted into freedom. Beware of activity that stirs pride or self-importance. True service flows from abiding in Me, where all sufficiency is Mine and all glory belongs to My Son.
Do not fear that yielding will make you less. In losing yourself, you find life. In serving with humility, you reflect the heart of Jesus. This is the measure of true service, that others are set free and formed into His likeness, and that you live in the joy of knowing it is not you, but Christ in you.
Scripture References: Philippians 2:5-8, Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:6-11, Ephesians 4:11-13, John 15:5, Matthew 20:26-28, 2 Corinthians 3:5, Colossians 1:28-29.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of a sponge. When it is soaked in water, it quietly absorbs what it has received. But the true test of the sponge is not how much it can soak up, but what flows out when it is pressed. In the same way, our service to God is not measured by how busy we look on the surface, but by what comes out of us under pressure. If pride, resentment, or self-importance spill out, then it reveals the service was rooted in self. But if humility, patience, and love are expressed, it reveals that the life of Jesus is flowing through us.
Today, when I find myself tempted to measure my worth by busyness, I can pause and say, “Lord, I trust You to live Your life through me, that Your humility and love may be seen in what I do.” In that moment, service becomes true, because it is His life expressed, not mine.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, I thank You that service is not about striving, but about abiding. I rejoice that You have already freed me from the need to prove myself by activity. In Jesus, I share His humility, His patience, and His selfless love. I thank You that real service is already mine, because it is Your life in me and through me. Today, I rest in the truth that my service will bear eternal fruit, because it flows from You.