Disciples of Jesus Christ are those who seek to become like their teacher. To be like Jesus is to become a servant. Jesus said, The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and give my life for the ransom of many (Mark 10:45). Jesus came to serve to the benefit of others, giving them what we needed most, salvation from our sins. If we are to follow after Him, the servant is not above his master.
We are called to serve others, we are to be compassionate friends who seek to meet the needs of others, especially their greatest need, to know Jesus and His salvation. The good news is that God has uniquely gifted each one of us to serve. He has given each of us spiritual gifts, abilities, passions, and experiences that shape how we can serve others. For some, this means being a handy man, others a listening ear, and for others a teacher. The list is as numerus as there are people, for we are all gifted uniquely by God.
To know that I am becoming more like Jesus by being a compassionate friend you can ask yourself, how have I served someone this week using my gifts and abilities. If we called to serve, it something that should happen on a regular basis. We can also ask ourselves who we are praying for intentionally that they can come to know Christ or to know Him more. People’s greatest need is to know Christ and to know Him more daily, and it should be a regular part of our prayer life. So ask yourself, am I a compassionate friend.