19 Bible Verses About God Calling Us to Serve

Matthew 20:26-28

“…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Reflection: James and John’s mother had asked Jesus to seat her sons at his right and left in his kingdom, and the other ten disciples were indignant. Jesus answers all twelve by contrasting the rulers of the Gentiles, who “lord it over them”, with his own followers, among whom greatness is measured by service. He grounds the rule in his own mission, which includes giving his life “as a ransom for many”. Mark 10:42-45 records the same saying.

John 13:14-15

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”

Reflection: At the evening meal before the Passover, Jesus took off his outer clothing, wrapped a towel around his waist and washed his disciples’ feet, over Peter’s protest. He then drew the conclusion himself: if their Lord and Teacher did this, they should do it for one another. Verse 16 adds that “no servant is greater than his master”.

Philippians 2:3-4

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Reflection: Paul writes to the church at Philippi asking them to be “like-minded” and to put one another’s interests ahead of their own. The verses that follow give the reason: Christ Jesus “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” and was obedient “even to death on a cross” (Philippians 2:7-8). The humility asked of the church is modelled on that descent.

John 12:26

“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

Reflection: Jesus says this in Jerusalem shortly before his death, just after the image of a kernel of wheat that must fall to the ground and die to produce many seeds. Serving him is defined as following him, and following leads where he is going. The promise attached is that the Father will honour the one who serves.

Isaiah 6:8

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”

Reflection: Isaiah sees the Lord enthroned in the temple “in the year that King Uzziah died”, cries out that he is a man of unclean lips, and has his lips touched with a coal from the altar. Only after that cleansing does he hear the question “Whom shall I send?” and volunteer. The message he is then given is a hard one: the people will hear without understanding (Isaiah 6:9-10).

Ephesians 2:10

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Reflection: The verse follows directly on the statement that salvation is “by grace”, “not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Paul then describes good works as the result of salvation: believers are God’s handiwork, created in Christ for good works that God had prepared in advance. Service is described as part of what God made them for.

Galatians 5:13

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”

Reflection: Galatians argues that Christians are free from the “yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1), which in this letter refers to keeping the law as a means of standing right with God. Here Paul sets a limit on that freedom: it is not licence to indulge the flesh but the ground for serving one another in love. The next verse says the whole law is fulfilled in “Love your neighbor as yourself”.

Romans 12:1

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

Reflection: The appeal is made “in view of God’s mercy”, which Paul has been describing in the chapters before it. The sacrifice Paul asks for is the whole person, offered while still living. The same chapter goes on to name the forms this takes in a church, where members have “different gifts”: “if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach” (Romans 12:7).

2 Corinthians 5:20

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

Reflection: Two verses earlier Paul says God “gave us the ministry of reconciliation” and “committed to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). An ambassador speaks for someone else, and Paul describes God as making his appeal through him. The service described here is carrying a message: “Be reconciled to God.”

1 Peter 4:10

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

Reflection: Peter writes with the end in view (“The end of all things is near”, 1 Peter 4:7) and lists what believers should do in the meantime: pray, love each other deeply, offer hospitality. Every gift is treated as something held in trust, and a steward manages what belongs to another. The next verse adds that whoever serves should do it “with the strength God provides”, so that God is praised.

1 Peter 5:2-3

“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”

Reflection: Peter writes to the elders and calls himself “a fellow elder” (1 Peter 5:1). He sets out the manner of their service in three contrasts: willingly rather than under compulsion, eagerly rather than for gain, by example rather than by lording it over the flock. The phrase about lording it over others is the same thing Jesus forbade his disciples in Matthew 20:25.

Galatians 6:2

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

Reflection: The verse before speaks of restoring gently someone “caught in a sin” and tells those who restore to “watch yourselves”. Carrying each other’s burdens is called fulfilling “the law of Christ”. A few verses later Paul adds that “each one should carry their own load” (Galatians 6:5), placing personal responsibility alongside the shared burden.

Galatians 6:9-10

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Reflection: Paul has just used the image of sowing and reaping: whoever sows to please the Spirit will reap eternal life. The harvest comes “at the proper time”, so the instruction is not to give up before then. Doing good is owed to everyone, with a particular claim from “the family of believers”.

Matthew 25:40

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

Reflection: Jesus describes the Son of Man judging the nations and separating them like sheep from goats. Those on his right fed the hungry, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked and visited the sick and the imprisoned, without knowing they were doing it for him. The King answers that whatever they did for “one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine”, they did for him.

James 1:27

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Reflection: James has just warned against listening to the word without doing it, comparing such a hearer to someone who looks in a mirror and forgets his own face. His definition of religion God accepts has two parts: care for orphans and widows “in their distress”, and keeping oneself unpolluted by the world.

1 John 3:17-18

“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

Reflection: The verse before sets the standard: “Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16). John then applies it to something smaller and more common, sharing material possessions with a brother or sister in need. Love that stays in words is set against love shown “with actions and in truth”.

Hebrews 6:10

“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”

Reflection: The verse comes directly after a warning about those who have “fallen away” (Hebrews 6:4-8). The writer tells the readers he is “convinced of better things in your case”, and the evidence he points to is their help for God’s people, both past and continuing. God is said to remember that work, and the next verse asks them to keep the same diligence “to the very end”.

Colossians 3:23-24

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Reflection: These words are addressed to slaves in the Colossian church (Colossians 3:22). Paul tells them to work wholeheartedly, as for the Lord rather than for their earthly masters, and closes with the sentence “It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

1 Corinthians 15:58

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Reflection: The “therefore” looks back over the whole chapter on the resurrection of the dead, which ends with death “swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54). Because the dead will be raised, work done for the Lord will not be lost. Paul’s instruction is to stand firm and give oneself fully to that work.