How many of us know what this is like? Christ did. This is evident in Luke 22:27.
"I am among you as the One who serves."
How many times have you been put in the position of serving another, only to find this is something you would rather not do? Think on what this means. First, you must be willing to do anything you can to lead others to Christ. Suppose this is what the outcome of doing this task would produce.
Would there be hesitation on your part to be cooperative? If so, then perhaps you need to reexamine why you are a Christian in the first place. If upon examination you find that you fail the test, what should you do?
To be like Christ is one of the most important goals you can ever have in life. Many times people lose sight of what being a Christian is all about. It doesn't mean you are one because you have joined a church. Because you live in America causes many to believe that they are one. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
You must have had the enlightenment of being born a sinner and unable to please God. He has high standards and sent His only son to die on a cross for our sins. This is what God demanded. Through accepting Christ and His work on the cross which made the way for us to be pleasing to God, we can then become a Christian. It is a heartfelt decision you must make to realize that Christ took our sins and bore the blame for what we had done. When we accept Christ as our savior, God sees us in Christ and remembers our sins no more.
When we fully see ourselves as redeemed, we want to do everything and anything we can to lead others to this new life. Being a servant is one of the greatest privileges we can ever attain. When your love for Christ and others grow, you should have no problem to be willing to serve others.
When you love someone, don't you try in every way you know to do things to make them happy? This is why, in my reason of thinking on this, I can't conceive why anyone would have any problem to have a willing spirit to be a servant. If you find this a problem, then perhaps praying to Jesus to give you this would be very effective.
I have always thought so many times about praying for things that are spiritual to help us grow like Him than for worldly desires and possessions. God taught me this many years ago in my prayer life and I can truthfully say I believe it to be true. Anytime we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and do what He prompts us to do, we will be truly blessed. There are many ways and areas of life that being a servant can be done with blessings for all involved.
In the Scripture there are times when you can see how Christ gave us an example.
In the upper room at the last Passover, after supper was ended in John 13: 4 KJV
"He riseth from supper, and laid aside His garments, and took a towel, and girdeth Himself. After that He poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded." In the discussion that followed in verse 15 Jesus said " For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you." In other words we should be willing to do things for other people willingly and in doing so, happy are we who do them.
One of our greatest hindrances we have in being a servant is our pride. If we consider ourselves unwilling to do things that seemingly, in our minds, are below our opinion of ourselves, then we have a problem with pride. Here are some of the things God hates.
Proverbs 6: 16-19 KJV
16 "These six things doth the Lord hate; yea seven are an abomination unto Him.
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.
18 A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that are swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."
To me these are rather sobering verses that rate some concentrated study for the result of self examination. I pray that we would all consider their importance and live accordingly.
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Copyright 2002 by Frances Hughes