Serve
"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
On Saturday, I had the privilege of working alongside our Founders team members and their families for a community Serve Day at Cornerstone Christian School. Cornerstone is an incredible school serving over 700 underprivileged kids from kindergarten through 12th grade right here in our community, offering students a Christlike and safe environment for education and so much more. Our team showed up ready to serve and completed several projects at the middle school campus. It surely wasn't glamorous, but at the core it was simply an act of love and service. I left Serve Day reminded of one of the most powerful and underrated forces in the Kingdom of God, the power of serving others with no strings attached.
Serving is simply helping others; at its best, it is a genuine desire to add real value to the people we serve; more than anything, it is an attitude of the heart. We all know the difference between poor, average, and exceptional service because we have experienced the full spectrum. Think about Chick-fil-A. They have reshaped expectations in an entire industry simply by doing ordinary things with extraordinary care and genuine warmth. That is the standard we are realizing at Founders. Our vision is to be the Gold Standard M&A advisory firm. We will achieve this vision by serving everyone we work with at the highest level, which means delivering exceptional results while providing our service relationally, with connection and care. We want to be the Chick-fil-A of our industry by going the extra mile to create raving fans of everyone we work with, including clients, teammates, referral sources, vendors….. For us, this standard of service is rooted in something deeper than business strategy; it flows from three principles of godly service that Scripture makes clear.
Three Principles of Godly Service
Service Begins in the Heart: Jesus did not just model service as a strategy or a best practice. He modeled it as an expression of love. Everything He did- healing the sick, feeding the hungry, washing His disciples' feet, and ultimately laying down His life- flowed from a heart that genuinely valued others above Himself. That is the standard He calls us to, and it begins on the inside long before it shows up on the outside. When we see service as a privilege rather than a burden, something shifts in us. We stop looking for recognition and start looking for opportunities. We stop doing the minimum and start asking how we can add more value. As Jesus said in Acts 20:35, it is more blessed to give than to receive. That is not just a nice sentiment. It is a spiritual law. When we serve others with a glad and generous heart, we are most fully reflecting the character of Christ and most powerfully advancing His Kingdom. This is why our stated Purpose at Founders is "To be Servant Leaders who value relationships and results"."In humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others"Philippians 2:3-4.
Service Goes the Extra Mile: Jesus taught a radical principle in the Sermon on the Mount that completely reframes how we think about service. He said if anyone forces you to go one mile, then give them two. In His day, Roman soldiers could legally compel Jewish citizens to carry their pack for one mile. Jesus was saying, do not just meet the minimum requirement; give them double what they are expecting. Serve well beyond what is required. That spirit of going the extra mile is what transforms good service into exceptional service and exceptional service into genuine influence. I was reminded of this in a recent meeting with Horst Schultz, founder of the Ritz-Carlton. This was the heart of the culture he developed at the Ritz-Carlton, which led it to become the world's best hotel, the "Gold Standard" of its time. Serving others with business excellence is often what turns a client into a lifelong raving fan and a colleague into a trusted friend. In life, it is what opens doors to conversations about faith. People are moved not by what we say about our values but by how we live them out in the small and unglamorous moments when no one is keeping score. "If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two"Matthew 5:41.
Service Is Most Powerful When Done Together: There is something uniquely powerful about serving alongside others. When a team comes together with a heart to serve, especially doing community service for people who cannot repay them, I believe something happens at a deeper level: we grow deeper in connection together, and a shared sense of purpose emerges. This is the heart of God: to love others like Christ loves us. This is why we intentionally build community service into the rhythm of our firm several times each year. It is not just good for the community we serve; it's good for us. It reminds us why we do what we do, who we are ultimately working for, and what kind of firm we are committed to being. Service done together forges the kind of culture that lasts."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.
The greatest leader who ever lived spent His life serving others and gave His life so we could live. If that is the model we are following, then service is not just something we do occasionally on a Saturday morning. It is who we are; it's a way of living out every day. It is the heartbeat of everything we build and everything we give our lives to.
Challenge Question: What is your heart attitude toward serving others right now? Do you experience service as an obligation to fulfill or an opportunity to reflect the love of Christ and make a lasting impact? What is one practical way you can go the extra mile in serving someone in your life or work this week?
Prayer: Father, thank You for the ultimate example of servant leadership in Jesus, who gave everything so we could have everything. Forgive us for the times we have approached service with reluctance or selfish motives. Give us hearts that genuinely value others above ourselves and eyes to see the sacred opportunities to serve that You place in front of us every day. May our service in our homes, our businesses, and our community reflect Your love and draw others closer to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Jesus did not come to be served but to serve. May we follow His example this week and every week, not for recognition but for eternal impact, not out of obligation but in response to His love.
Have a great week!
