Ten Reasons Why You Should Teach About Serving Others in Your Homeschool (It’s YOUR Serve, Part 2)
In Part 1 of our “It’s YOUR Serve” series, we examined some of the attitudes, barriers, and beliefs that hinder Christians from serving.
Today, in Part 2, we talk about ten reasons why you should teach about serving others in your homeschool.
Why Teach Service, Stewardship, and Outreach?
From the practical to the personal, there are multiple reasons.
For our family, the practical and the personal are intertwined.
Our home state of Texas requires a “course in good citizenship.” My husband and I feel in order to teach character adequately, our home must first embody a servant’s heart. Stewardship is central not only to our Christian faith but also to good citizenship.
As the entrusted keepers of all of God’s Creation including His earth, His creatures, and most importantly His people, it is our duty to sow the seeds of stewardship for the next generation.
Teaching empathy and compassion for one’s fellow human is a life lesson that goes beyond anything gleaned from a classroom or textbook.
Below are ten reasons why you should be teaching about the importance of serving others in your homeschool.
Reason # 1: It’s ALL His.
Nothing we own belongs to us.
From the beginning, it was all God’s.
God has entrusted us with his blessings. Hard work aside, we do not “earn” anything alone. We owe it to the Lord to be good stewards of what he has delegated to us: our finances, our family, our health, and our hearts.
The Lord sends poverty and wealth;
I Samuel 2:7
he humbles and he exalts.
All our possessions in this life are not truly ours. They belong to God. They are his to bless and his to take away.
Once we accept this truth, we can begin to shift how we think about ownership and stewardship. It’s not what we give or how much we give. Instead, it is about giving generously with an open heart and without expectation for reward or reciprocation. For none of it was ever ours to decide about to begin with.
Reason # 2: Our Father has been generous to us.
We have all been given gifts to use.
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace
1 Peter 4:10
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Luke 6:38
All gifts flow from the Creator and our Creator is very generous indeed. In fact, he gave the most generous gift of all, his son, to die on the cross for the sins of the world. As a mother of a son, I know I do not have it in me to be that generous with my child.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life
John 3:16
Reason # 3: To Follow Christ’s example.
We serve because he served.
The Gospels are filled with accounts of Jesus serving others.
“For even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45
And he served those who were considered outcasts, the untouchables rebuffed by society.
Reason # 4: To Glorify God.
In serving others, it’s not about us. It’s all about God.
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Philippians 2:3-4
In Part 1 of this series, I spoke of keeping “humble pie” on the menu in my life. Serving yourself a slice of humble pie now and then is not the same as experiencing humiliation, self-denial, or punishment. Rather, it is an act of surrender indicating you trust the Lord wholeheartedly for your life’s direction.
In John 13:35, Jesus washes the disciples’ feet and exhorts them to humility and charity, stating,
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
John 13:35
In acts of service, we choose humility. Rather than helping others so that we “look good,” we perform acts of service so the world might see the goodness of God.
Reason # 5: To love others as God first loved us.
We are God’s first love. He wants to be ours!
God has always pursued us. In fact, he pursued us first!
We love because he first loved us.
I John 4:19
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
I John 3:1
We were created in love in the Garden. No other of our Father’s creations share this unique relationship with him.
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Genesis 1:27
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37-39
We were created for relationship. Relationship with God and others. We were created to love one another as our Father loves us.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God
I John 4:7
We are the Bride of Christ! Christ commands us to love him and love one another as he loves us.
And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
Matthew 22:37-39
This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
John 3:23
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
John 13:34
Reason # 6: To take part in the Great Commission.
Teaching our children about the importance of service allows us to take part in the Great Commission.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:19-20
To teach the world of Christ’s love and the debt he paid willingly for ALL with the ultimate sacrifice is to bestow a priceless gift. Helping those in need provides a wonderful opportunity for spreading the good news about Christ.
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Acts 20:35
Reason # 7: To Show Gratitude
When our blameless savior laid down his life for us on the cross, he paid a price for sins he never accrued. A debt that we can never repay.
I, for one, am so thankful we do not have to. For I know even if I lived a thousand lives and died a thousand deaths, it would not even come close to the sacrifice our Redeemer made.
Instead, I endeavor to do better with the time that I have been given. In my gratitude, I will express my thanks for the many blessings God has bestowed upon me in this life, and to the best of my ability share this bounty well.
What better way to show gratitude for Christ’s sacrifice than through service?
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit, offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Hebrews 9:14
Reason # 8: The Lord Commands Us To Do So
One way we demonstrate our love for one another is by helping to carry one another’s burdens.
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2
While we live by grace, not works, our heavenly father is pleased when we honor him with our thoughts, words, and deeds.
And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Hebrews 13:16
Furthermore, turning a blind eye to the suffering of our brethren is more than just neglectful, it is sinful.
“God said that neglecting the poor was a sin. Financially secure families were responsible to help and house those in need….God does not expect you to eliminate poverty, nor does he expect you, to neglect your family while providing for others. He does, however, expect that when you see an individual in need, you will reach out with whatever help you can offer, including hospitality.”
Leviticus 25:35-37, Chronological Life Application Study Bible, NLT Version
Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Romans 12:13
Reason # 9: To Hold Us Accountable as Parents
Our children are not ours. They are on loan to us from God.
Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine
Ezekiel 18:4
As parents, we are responsible for their upbringing. Our heavenly father has entrusted us with their proper care and instruction.
But if anyone doesn’t provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
I Timothy 5:8
God will hold us accountable for what we teach our children.
Nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:4
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6
Reason # 10: To remind us WHOSE we are.
As followers of Christ, we are to be salt and light.
Paul said,
Believers, you are to shine as light in the world.
Philipians 2:15
Salt adds flavor and stops decay. It can also sting if rubbed into a wound. As Christians, we are to be the “salt of the earth,” seasoning our words, thoughts, and deeds in a manner that will make others thirst for the knowledge of our Savior.
Light illuminates, chasing away the darkness. Christ was the ultimate Light of the World. As Christians, we bear testimony to the presence of Christ in our lives.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
Yet, the light we shine is not a mirror of ourselves but rather an opened door, beckoning nonBelievers to ponder the source of our generosity- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness. A thirst for knowledge of this Living Water of Christ begins with a single spark of curiosity.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Galatians 5:22
What better way to win souls for Christ?
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:5-9
Coming Up
Join us next week for Part 3 of our “It’s YOUR Serve” blog post series, “Ten Steps To Cultivating a Servant’s Heart in Your Homeschool.” In Part 3, we will outline simple ways you can cultivate a servant’s heart in your home.
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Blessings,
Kimberly
IOH Mom
This website is not a professional counseling website and nothing here should be construed as professional counseling advice. Although Kimberly Bennett, LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor, she is not your counselor, and no counselor-client relationship is established unless she has signed an agreement with you. All information provided through this website is for informational and educational purposes only. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure statement. Thanks for visiting!
