Daily Devotional For May 29, 2025
For this reason they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in his temple, and the One sitting on the throne will spread His tent over them. Rev 7:15.
Many Americans have experienced the difference between shopping at K-Mart and at Nordstroms. With the emergence of the Target and WalMart store chains, the K-Mart chain in most areas has been regulated to second-class status. The aisles are often strewn with merchandise and looking for an attendant can seem like an all-day affair. On the other hand, Nordstroms is a store chain with a reputation for quality merchandise and exceptional service, even though its prices may not compare with the others. The attendants are polite and knowledgeable, and carry you through the shopping experience with aplomb.
A friend of mine recently moved from California, where Nordstroms and K-Mart were two prominent choices, to the Philippines, where shopping is often a very different world than that of California. Shortly after his arrival in the Philippines, he discovered the limitations of the legendary Nordstroms shopping experience. He described his experience in a very large Filipino department store called “SM” as almost “other worldly.”
South Mall in Manila has an SM store twice the size of most WalMarts. As Jim and his family entered the store they immediately noticed the extremely large number of uniformed attendants standing about every twenty feet (six meters) throughout the store. At one point he counted 14 in about a twenty foot radius. If you even dared to approach the extremely well-stocked and organized merchandise, two or three of them would immediately converge to help you in every way possible. This immediate attention was rather unsettling at first, but after recovering from the initial shock, Jim was able to purchase some much-needed items.1
The people of God will one day “serve” God day and night in the heavenly temple. But the best place to practice for that heavenly status is right here and right now. We are told that the acts of kindness and service that we bestow on others here and now are accepted by God as if done to Jesus Himself (Matt 25:34-46).
Finding the balance between genuine, helpful service and annoying intrusiveness requires much experience and a strong dose of the Spirit’s guidance. Does the person we wish to serve desire a K-Mart, WalMart, Nordstroms or SM department store type of experience? But when our service is genuinely driven by the love of Jesus, we can be confident that much good will be done. And in the process of serving others we will learn how to serve God more fully.
Lord, I choose the attitude of a servant today. May others find joy and help in my presence.
1 Email from Jim Park, August 17, 2003.