What Level of Service Do You Operate At?

SERVICE - A MATTER OF THE HEART

Key to success in business and life, for that matter, is based on what level of service you are prepared to give to others, and what is your motive in rendering that service. 
 
How you motivate yourself to perform that service is important too, but it is a different issue that your motive.

Three Levels of Service
When it comes to providing service, it seems that there are three levels that describe most everyone’s approach and motive.  First, there is the level of “serving to live”.  This level is describing a situation where you are required to provide service as part of what you do.  For example your job or business depends on you serving in some way, so you associate your livelihood (paycheck or profit) as directly tied to meeting your obligation of providing some minimum level of service.
 
The second level of serving is “serving to serve”.  In this level your motive, your heart is driven by the desire to serve.  You enjoy it, you are satisfied by the act of service on its own merit (compensation is nice, but not necessary for you to serve).  However, your service here is still largely in response to a demand that exists, to a requirement that someone puts upon you.  You are largely re-active to a need placed upon you, or before you.  Your heart motive is more true in this 2nd level as compared to the 1st level, but you are re-active not pro-active.
 
The third level of serving is “living to serve”.  This level is where your personal purpose includes a component that says you must serve just as much as you must eat or breathe.  In fact, you are on the lookout of where and how to serve before a need even arises.  You are pro-active in your approach of serving.  This third level is a discriminating level of service that few people operate at. 
 
The law of sowing and reaping will ensure that operating at level three will mean you are rewarded in a significant way - as long as you are willing for the timing and method of that compensation/blessing to not be controlled by you!
 
Advice for today - honestly assess what level of service you personally are operating at now.  Check your motive.  What about key employees in your organization - what level are they at, what motive do they have?  What impact would level three service by you and other key players in your organization have on your approach, your bottom-line, your purpose, your personal fulfillment?
 
Changing your motive, changing your level of service - will yield a better future.
 
The Best is Yet to Come - So Keep Your Fork!
There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. As she was getting her things “in order,” she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. One of her requests was to be buried with her favorite Bible.
 
Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her. “There’s one more thing,” she said excitedly. “What’s that?” came the pastor’s reply. “This is very important,” the woman continued.. “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.” The pastor stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite what to say. “That surprises you, doesn’t it?” the woman asked. 
 
“Well, to be honest, I’m puzzled by the request,” said the pastor. 
 
The woman explained. “In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say,”keep your fork.” It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming, like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance! So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder ‘What’s with the fork?’ Then I want you to tell them: “Keep Your Fork. The best is yet to come”
 
The pastor’s eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She KNEW that something better was coming.
 
At the funeral people were walking by the woman’s casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing and her favorite Bible and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over the pastor heard the question “What’s with the fork?” And over and over he smiled. 
 
During his message, the pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. The pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either.
 
He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you oh so gently, that the best is yet to come.  

DAILY PRAYER  
Father, help us to check our motive, our heart.  Let us move to level three in service.  Let us be guided by Romans 12:10-11 which says “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”  In Jesus name, Amen.
 
Ratchet up your level of service, your motive for service.  The ultimate rewards will be exponential.
 
Grace and peace multiplied to you.