service on chalkboardIf you are like most folks, whenever you have a positive customer service experience, you usually remember it. Maybe you even tell others, or write a note of appreciations, or perhaps post on the company’s Facebook page. It’s noticeable because unfortunately, it is rare these days.

We are each in a position to serve someone else almost every day. God has given us no shortage of lessons from His Word in how to serve. One such lesson is found in Genesis Chapter 24, where we discover 3 powerful lessons.

You’ll remember that Abraham and his wife, Sarah, had their son Isaac when they were “advanced” in age (Sarah – 90 years old, Abraham – 99 years old.) God had promised and He was faithful to keep His promise that Abraham would be the father of many nations. Well, many years had passed since Isaac was born, Sarah had died and Abraham knew it was his time to start looking for a bride for Isaac – after all he was 37 years old and it was time to get on with it! But Abraham knew God wanted Isaac to have a godly wife, and where they were currently living was not the place to find Isaac a godly bride. Since Abraham was very old, he sent his oft-trusted, closest friend and servant, Eliezer, on the journey to the land of God’s people.

Eliezer’s job as Abraham’s servant on a daily basis was to do his job as if he were Abraham – to do it the way Abraham would want it done. That certainly held true as he was commissioned for the job of finding Isaac’s bride. Eliezer provides us 3 powerful lessons in how to serve God’s way:

Serving wants the very best for the other person – the one you are serving. By nature, serving is unselfish! It’s not about you – it’s about the one you are serving. Eliezer knew, as one of Abraham’s closest friends, the kind of godly woman Abraham himself would select as a bride for his son, so that was the focus Eliezer kept in front of him on his journey.

In your own home, job, business – you know those you serve and you have the opportunity to confirm with the one you serve exactly what they want – to get in sync with their wants.

Serving wants what God wants. Not only did Eliezer focus on what Abraham wanted, but he also was failthful to focus on what God wanted, as seen in his prayer in Genesis 24:12, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me the success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham…. let her be the one You have chosen….”

How exciting is it to pray for the success of your husband, your children, your boss, your hostesses, and to know that God hears your prayer, that He cares, that you have joined with Him by wanting what He wants?

Serving finishes the job all the way. Eliezer not only was faithful to follow God’s direction and Abraham’s instructions as he began the journey, but Eliezer also was faithful to compete the job all the way until he had personally delivered Isaac’s bride Rebekah, directly to Isaac. Genesis 24:61-67, “So the servant (Eliezer) took Rebekah and left…. Now Isaac…went out to the field… he saw camels approaching…. ‘He is my master,’ the servant answered…. Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. Isaac brought her (Rebekah) into the tent… and he married Rebekah.”

Don’t you love it when (as rare as it is these days) you are in a store and ask where you can find a certain item, and the clerk not only tells you but also takes you there herself? That is serving all the way! We can serve like that in our homes, our jobs, our businesses – checking back after the job is done to be certain it is the way they wanted. Serving that is finished all the way.

Serving God’s way:

Wants the very best for the other person
Wants what God wants
Finishes serving all the way

“O Lord… please grant success to the journey on which I (a servant) have come.” Genesis 24:42