Bible Reading: Mark 10:45; 1 Peter 4:8-10

“Daniel, Daniel!” Daniel’s little brother and sister came zooming into the room. “Will you play store with us? Please?”

Daniel smiled. “Okay, sure.” Eli and Alessia often begged Daniel to play store with them, but Daniel didn’t mind. Their grandfather owned a hardware store, and the kids loved to visit and see people buy all sorts of interesting things. Customers asked a lot of questions, and Grandpa was always happy to help them.

Daniel followed his brother and sister to where they had a make-believe store set up. “Eli and I will be the customers,” Alessia said. She put a toy phone to her ear. “Ring, ring!”

Daniel picked up the other end. “Hello, how may I help you?” That was how Grandpa answered the phone.

As Daniel was helping Eli and Alessia choose things to buy, Dad came in. “Okay, kids, time to go to the nursing home. Families from church are taking turns visiting, and tonight’s our night.”

Daniel frowned. “Couldn’t just you and Mom go?”

Dad shook his head. “The people look forward to our visits, and they especially like seeing kids. It brightens their whole day.”

“Well, it doesn’t brighten my day,” said Daniel.

He expected Dad to scold him, but instead, Dad changed the subject. “Daniel, how does Grandpa answer the phone at the store?”

“He says, ‘How may I help you?'” Daniel replied.

Dad nodded. “Yes, and I’ve heard you answer the same way when you’re playing store with Eli and Alessia. It’s a good way to show that you’re willing and eager to help someone. Now, is there a way you could ask God that same question that’s used to answer the phone?”

“What do you mean?” asked Daniel.

“In the Bible we learn that God wants His followers to serve Him and others willingly,” Dad explained. “Jesus eagerly served everyone He encountered–He even sacrificed His own life to save us. And He’s given us the Holy Spirit to help us love others the way He does, which means we can serve others with a willing heart too.”

Daniel thought for a minute. “I guess you’re right,” he said. “If I asked God how I could help Him today, He’d want me to go to the nursing home.”

–Carolyn E. Yost

How About You?
What’s your attitude when you serve the Lord? When you’re asked to help out at home or visit someone who’s sick, do you do it willingly? Jesus loves us so much that He became the greatest servant of all by sacrificing Himself for us. When we serve God by helping others, we show other people His love. Take a moment and ask God in prayer, “How may I help you?”

Today’s Key Verse:
Serve [God] with a loyal heart and with a willing mind. (NKJV) (1 Chronicles 28:9)

Today’s Key Thought:
Serve God willingly