Serving God by Serving the Poor, the Sick, and the Incarcerated

Serving God is a desire that is sparked at the moment one turns their life over to Christ. Serving God can be done in many ways. In this post I want to talk about serving God by serving the poor, the sick and those who are incarcerated.

As Christians, our desire should be to serve God. We all have a “calling” on our lives. That simply means we were created to be witnesses for Him in whatever career, location or lot in life we find ourselves in.




We serve God by serving those we come into contact with in our daily lives. Many times when we hear the term “serving God” we automatically think of someone who has been called to one of the fivefold ministry offices of the church (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor or Teacher). Anyone who has been called to one of these ministry offices is indeed serving God, but serving God entails a lot more than standing in one of these ministry offices.

We Serve God by Serving One Another

In Matthew 25:34-40 Jesus eluded to the fact that when we feed the hungry, give drink to those who thirst, are kind to strangers, cloth the naked, visit the sick and those who are prison, we serve Him.

[pullquote]Throughout the course of our day we have a multitude of opportunities to serve God through serving people. And as we serve people, they see the love of God in action. And as people see the love of God in action, they have opportunity to interact with Him through us.[/pullquote]

What we see illustrated in Matthew 25:34-40 is the love of God in action. Throughout the course of our day we have a multitude of opportunities to serve God through serving people. And as we serve people, they see the love of God in action. And as people see the love of God in action, they have opportunity to interact with Him through us.

Sometimes when times are most difficult, openness to God is greatest. Having worked in the LA County jail system for years, I’ve seen people in their darkest hours. I’ve seen people who’ve had nothing else to put their hope in but God.

The same is true of those who are sick and those who are in need. There comes a time in our lives that we come to the end of ourselves. A point when we realize that we can’t solve our own problems. We come to terms with the fact that we are in dire need of a Savior. It’s at that moment, when all hope is gone that the love of God can come shining through as a beacon of light to those who are lost. As we serve Him by serving those in need we give people a chance to meet Jesus in and through us.

A Word about the Homeless

There was a time when I was growing up that the word “Homeless” spoke of someone who had given up on life. This no longer is the case. We now have whole families living on the streets due to job losses, downsizing and layoffs. These men, women and children need to be served. They need to see the love of Jesus Christ in us.

I encourage you to take every opportunity to serve God by serving those around you. Actively look for people who are in need and freely give of yourself.

We don’t know what God is doing in the hearts of those around us. Your kind gesture. Your willingness to give of yourself. The spare change you reach into your pocket to give to someone. The smile you share with a stranger may be all it takes to draw another lost person into the Kingdom of God.

God has chosen you to be a laborer together with Him. Let’s do our part and serve God by seeking out people to be of service to.