Bible Verses about Serving Others

The Bible calls on us to follow in the example of Christ. Jesus was a great example of serving the poor, widowed, orphaned, and brothers and sisters in faith. An important aspect of the Christian faith is acting selflessly to serve others.

Life can be difficult for people in many different ways. People often face different types of storms such as loss of loved ones, unemployment, divorce, poverty, and sickness. We are therefore encouraged by these verses about serving others to step in and help out where and when we can.

From small gestures to even bigger commitments, all are seen as acts of service in the eyes of God, who tells us that it is important to serve and to give to others. We are also taught through the scriptures that these deeds will be rewarded by the Lord.

The below Bible verses about serving others are reminders of why it is important to have a giving spirit and how important it is to God for believers to serve his people.

Let's dive straight into understanding what the Bible says about serving others. As believers of Christ, you are called not to be served but to serve. By serving others, not only will you be rewarded by God, but you will also feel a deep sense of joy and satisfaction that comes with helping others.

 

1. "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them." Hebrews 6:10 NIV 

This scripture on serving demonstrates how highly God regards acts of service. The verse explains that by helping others you are directly showing God how much you love him.

We are also told that God will not forget these acts of kindness. This encourages us to continue in generous spirits as The Lord will not take these acts for granted.

 

2. "Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done." Proverbs 19:17 NIV

Here God states that if you lend to the poor, you in the same breath lend to The Lord. This is powerful in that it is a reminder to always be generous. We should not look down on anyone but rather give freely as if we were giving to The Lord.

We also see clearly here that God states that these acts will be rewarded and they do not go unrecognized.

3. "Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." Matthew 5:42 NIV

In Matthew 5, Jesus was telling his disciples to always give freely to beggars and loan money or possessions to whoever may ask. The Lord Jesus told his disciples to never resist anyone that came to them and asked for help. 

You are called to be like the disciples of Jesus. Always give freely and generously when it is asked of you.

4. "The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor." Proverbs 22: 9 NIV

Another of the Bible verses about serving others reminding us that God acknowledges those that are generous and giving. You will be blessed for your willingness to feed the hungry and poor.

Jesus encourages us to share what we have with others. Often we may feel as though we are giving up money or assets, but God will reward us beyond these worldly possessions.

5. "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 NIV

This verse explains that no one is ever too powerful or too big to give to others. The Son of Man, Jesus came to this earth to give up his life and serve others.

You are called to do the same, giving freely of your time, money, and possessions to those that need it the most.

In Mark 12:31 we see how we should selflessly love others

 

6. “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10 NIV 

You have all been given spiritual gifts from God. You should not view these gifts as ‘yours’ but rather use them as a way of uplifting and serving others.

Wisely use the gifts you have received to fulfill the desires of the Lord Christ. God will see these selfless acts and you will be blessed.

 7."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 NIV   

This verse speaks directly to helping the weak and the elderly. You should selflessly give up time (or whatever resources you can offer) to help those who are unable to do things for themselves.

Jesus reminds us that we should serve one another. In the eyes of God, it is more important to serve others than to be served.

8. "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 NIV

By doing good deeds and serving others you are glorifying God in Heaven. The Disciples of Christ displayed his light by doing good works that God intended for them.  

This message is still relevant today, as your deeds act as a light in the world that can often be as harsh on so many people.

 

9. "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love." Galatians 5:13 NIV

The Bible often talks about loving one another as you would yourself. And through this love, serving others humbly through Christ.

Although we are given the freedom to do with our lives what we will, God explicitly calls us to selflessly help others.

10. "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." Philippians 2:4 ESV

As followers of Christ you are called to act with humility and selflessness towards your brothers and sisters in Christ, and all people for that matter.

It is important to acknowledge and not take for granted your own health and needs. But God also calls you to consider others and act in a way that has their interests in mind.  

11. "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Galatians 6:10 NIV  

In this scripture, Paul is urging Christians to not grow tired of doing good to others. He encourages believers with the fact that their ultimate reward for doing good is eternal life with Christ.

He inspires believers to not only do good works for their brothers and sisters in faith, but to all people. You are called to have faith that you will be eternally blessed by the Lord Christ in Heaven.

 

When we help others we are refreshing our souls, this is spoken to us in Proverbs 11:25 

 

12. "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked." Luke 6:35 NIV

All acts of service should be done selflessly with no expectations. It can be difficult to serve others that do not seem to be grateful or what you may feel are undeserving.

God reminds us that we are not serving others for anything in return, including gratitude. You are doing them to glorify his name and your praise will be from the Most High, which is of the greatest importance.

13. "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet." John 13:14 NIV

Here Jesus turns the act of washing another's feet, which was once seen as shameful and degrading, into an act of showing mutual respect and love.

Jesus was sent to the earth as the Almighty and Redeemer, he taught his disciples through action and here he taught them to serve others.

This is relevant in the world today where people often think they are too busy or regard themselves too high for simple acts. But Jesus encourages you to humbly serve others in this way.

Final Thoughts on Bible Verses about Serving Others

Throughout the Bible, we are reminded about the selfless acts carried out by Jesus. The above Bible verses about serving others are an important encouragement in keeping yourself humble and serving others.

It can sometimes be difficult to give up time or money to help others, but God has promised that he acknowledges all selfless acts. And whoever carries out such acts will be abundantly blessed.