Mark 9:35  Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."

1Peter 5:2-4 Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers- not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

The first step in serving the Lord is deciding why you want to serve.  If you want the accolades of the people around you, you will receive your reward here and now.  If you want to serve to pay for your salvation, you have not understood the grace of the Lord.  You can't pay for your salvation.  The Lord has already paid the price for our sins, we could never pay that price on our own efforts. 
 
If you want to serve the Lord as an act of worship and gratitude, you are on the right path.  The Lord wants a willing heart and an open mind.  He desires us to serve Him with joy and humility.  Our attitude as we serve indicates to those around us the truth of why we serve.  If we complain that our duties are beneath us, we are setting ourselves above our Lord Who did not count it beneath Him to wash the dirty feet of His disciples.  He considered it an honor to serve His Father even to a death on the cross.   How can we, His children and His friends, be any less willing to serve others as He has served us. Even now He intercedes for us to His Father, honoring us with His love and compassion.

Matt 5:16  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
    
We are to serve the Lord by our works and our lives.  We are to serve Him where He has placed us.  Sometimes we are at the head and sometimes we are the ones chosen to clean up after the parade has passed.  The crowds are gone and the accolades have gone to someone else and the mess is left for us to remove.
    
Have you ever noticed the mess after a parade has gone by?  The wrappers from the candy, the flags that were waved are left behind and the banners have fallen to the ground.  The floats have shed some of their confetti and we are the ones to restore order.
    
It can be frustrating to have to be the one to remove the leftovers but it also gives us the opportunity to serve in a unique way.   Brother Lawrence wrote a book named "Practicing the Presence of God".  His main theme was that no matter whether scrubbing the floor or doing the dishes or weeding the garden, what we do does make a difference to the world around us.
    
How we do the job speaks loudly to those who follow us.  How we clean the church or do the bulletin or sing in the choir may not seem that important but think about if these jobs don't get done or get done poorly.  We will notice quickly if the church pews are dusty or cluttered.  We will sing the wrong songs if the bulletin is incorrect.  We will show up for meetings the wrong day if the bulletin lists incorrect information.
   
 No matter where we serve or what we do, do it as unto the Lord. He is, after all is said and done, our Boss.  He is the one making the assignments and we will have an evaluation.  I prefer to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant",  even if all I did was clean up the table after supper.

Exodus 20:5,6 You shall not bow down to them (idols) or
worship them; for I, the Lord your God am a jealous
God, punishing the children to the third and fourth
generation of those who hate Me, but showing love
to a thousand generations of those who love Me and
keep my commandments.
      
We sometimes wonder if what we do will make a difference in the lives of those who come after us.  We try to live a life honoring the Lord.  We offer tithes of time, money and worship to our Creator and Redeemer.  We don't necessarily see any changes or fruit for our efforts.
     
The Lord has made a promise that what we do does make a difference even if we don't see it in the lives of those around us.  He has written in His love letter to us, the Bible, that He honors our efforts and our witness to the next generations by blessing them.
     
Don't let the lack of evidence stop you from being a disciple to the world.  Jesus wants us to be salt and light to the world.  He wants us to be His hands and feet and comforting arms to a hurting world.  Whether it is our children, our neighbors or co-workers, we can be a blessing. 
     
Our children will rise up and call us blessed.  The willingness to serve the Lord even in the midst of feeling ineffective will be blessed by the Lord.  He has made a promise to show love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and He does not default on His promises.  If we continue to live the life of a child of the most High God, our children will be blessed even if we don't see it.