A Servant

One of the most challenging tasks and attitudes in God’s Kingdom is learning to serve and learning to be a servant; putting ourselves second and others first. It goes against a lifetime of learning the fine art of being selfish, taking care of “#1” and striving to get our own way. God has called us to be a servant. Someone who is humble and looks after others. Someone who is willing to lay their life down for others so they can know God. We must come to the realization that no one owes us anything - Our family. Our friends. Our church. Our school. Our government. NO ONE! But we owe everything to the Lord and then to others. And if you develop and keep that attitude, the attitude of a servant, God will use you in amazing ways to bless others, all of the glory will go to Jesus and we will find the fulfillment in our lives that we each so desire. The gospel is spread and the Kingdom advances on the feet of servants not on the feet of charismatic personalities. Keep serving! Think on these scriptures:

Colossians 1:25 (NLT)

God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you.

Romans 1:1 (NLT)

This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News.

Luke 6:27-31 (NLT)

27“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31Do to others as you would like them to do to you.

Philippians 2:3-11 (NLT)

3Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

6Though he (Jesus) was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.

7Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

9Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Matthew 20:20-28 (NLT)

20Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor. 21“What is your request?” he asked.

She replied, “In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”

22But Jesus answered by saying to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?” “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”

23Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup. But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. My Father has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”

24When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 25But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them.

26But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”