Commendations

Aug 15 2025 - Eric Buresh

I am often struck by the many acts of selfless service I see going on around Grace. There are so many types of ministries and service that most of us either don’t see or perhaps we take for granted. No praise. No glory. Just quiet service. You selfless servants know who you are and I want to commend you as worthy examples. 

I am reminded of Paul’s similar commendation in Romans 16:1–2 – “I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church, . . . for indeed she has been a helper of many . . .” It is no small thing to be mentioned in the Word of God by name. Yet it is not charisma, wealth, or worldly greatness that secures such honor. It is faithful service—the kind known by the Lord and treasured by His church. 

A few thoughts come to mind as I think about the faithful service of our afore-mentioned brothers and sisters: an unseen labor of love is never overlooked by God; heaven crowns the helper as well as the herald; and a life given to others, quietly and steadfastly, is precious in the sight of the Lord. 

So, I commend these saints’ character before the church as worthy of imitation and honor. Why? Because they are, like Phoebe, servants—the Greek word diakonos, often translated “deacon” or “minister.” They render quiet, practical service in Jesus’ name. The hands that serve, comfort, and support, are the hands of Jesus Christ. They don’t preach, perhaps, but they help, and in doing so, they fulfil the law of love. 

So, let us imitate the selfless servants among us. Their actions are a rebuke to our comfort-seeking age! For many of us (me included), we are too quick to consume and too slow to contribute. Greatness in the kingdom is marked not by how many we have serve us, but by how many we serve. 

May we, like these commendable brothers and sisters from our own church family, be helpers of many. For when the church serves, the world sees a glimpse of heaven on earth.  

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:35