As Christians, much of what we do is not original. We love because He loved us; we give because Christ gave all for us; we serve because we have been served so well. And that model couldn’t be more beautiful. Our Christian witness is a reflection of the ultimate care and love we have in Christ, and the same is true for the lives of every believer who’s ever lived. To that end, we’re looking today at a few more examples of service from believers in the New Testament.

Acts 9:36

“In Joppa, there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor.”

Tabitha is remembered in this passage for her good works and the way she helped the poor. Before we learn anything else about her, we hear that she “was a disciple,” or a follower. She followed Jesus, and that showed up in the way she lived her life toward others. As John 13:35 says, “All men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.”

Acts 10:2

“[Cornelius] and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.”

The two things that marked Cornelius’s life as “devout and God-fearing” were his generosity and prayer. The two go hand in hand. He had a consistent, personal relationship with the Father, and from that flowed his giving heart toward others. Knowing God must be the foundation for everything we do in serving others in the same way that it was for Cornelius.

2 Corinthians 8:1–2

“And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.”

Paul highlights something important about the generosity of these saints: they gave “in the midst of a very severe trial” and it was only through “the grace that God has given.” Their giving was lavish and completely empowered by the Lord. Even though the saints in the Macedonian church were poor and suffering under trials themselves, their giving reflected a deeper reality—that they saw God as the source and sustainer of all their life and ministry.

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