I have always found the business world to be a fascinating study in human nature. There are those who are more interested in selling than they are in serving the needs of their customers. On the other hand there are those who seem to have service at the core of their efforts. How does service change the way a person sees his customers?

Several years ago I began to notice certain phrases being used in advertising and marketing, all of which are designed to make you and I believe that a particular product or service is the best on the market and therefore should be our only choice.

Have you considered what it means to label a product as "the best," "most affordable," "greatest," or any number of terms used to describe it in a way that would make it stand out to consumers? In doing so the business owner has taken it upon himself to establish what is best for everyone. If you are allergic to an ingredient in a particular product, it could be a devastating purchase for you. If you are struggling to make ends meet, the best option for you may be a used vehicle rather than a brand new one labeled as "most affordable."  If you have had heart problems the "greatest" hamburger in the city may not be the best choice for you.

When someone tells me they have the best of anything, I tend to tune out. Why? At that point it has become about the product and not about the customer, service is no longer at the core of the relationship. Service is about discovering my needs and filling those needs. When a business owner tells me they have the best, they have already decided what my needs are.

How do you feel when you approach a customer service counter or information booth and find no one is there to help you? It is even worse to feel as if they are too busy to be of any service.

There is only one Being who knows our needs even more intimately than we do. God tells us to come to Him in prayer and to ask for those things that we desire and need. He also tells us that He knows our needs before we ever ask Him to fill them. At His very core, God is about serving us. He knows what is best for us even when we don't. He is always there, waiting to serve us, never too busy.

Have you ever had something happen in your life and ask yourself where God was, why He allowed it to happen? Have you ever looked back at the same situation, months or years later and realized that it was exactly what you needed at the time? I know it has happened in my life more than once.

When we have a relationship with a business owner that is based on customer service, we tend to be loyal to that business. We understand how rare those relationships can be. How loyal are we to God? Do we understand how rare our relationship with Him truly is? Do we keep Him in our pocket and only pull Him out when needed or do we give Him our very best every day? If we are willing to show our loyalty to the business owner down the street, how much more does God deserve our loyalty?

If you want to create an atmosphere of service and loyalty in your life, look at the "best" example anyone could have. Look at God.