To act in service to a higher i.e. more
noble cause, a greater good. Often indicating an action undertaken at the behest of a Higher Power, such as a supreme being or deity, or some conception of
justice and the morally
right; motivation for personal growth and/or individual sacrifice for the greater good.
The
lawyer quit her lucrative position as a
private defense attorney and instead became a low paid public
defender because she was answering a higher calling.