Be a Servant

22 Sep Be a Servant

In my current series of articles, I am sharing lessons God is graciously teaching me in this season of life as his disciple. One of the biggest lessons God is teaching me is to have the heart of a servant in my local church and with my loved ones.

Jesus and the apostle Paul often reminded us that following Jesus means we should live as servants:

When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers.
Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 20:24–28

The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Matthew 23:11–12

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

Mark 9:35

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:4

God calls us not to focus on ourselves and our own needs, but to be aware, responsive, and helpful in meeting the needs of people around us. We don’t have to be appointed to a particular role or position in the church in order to serve—we can simply serve our families, church families, friends, and neighbors. I am no longer on staff with a church, but God is still providing me with many opportunities to serve people around me, and those opportunities bring me great joy and encouragement in the Lord. God often allows me to serve my family, church family, neighbors, and even friends from my past who live out of town. One of the wonderful blessings of serving is that it draws us closer in relationship to those we serve! This reminds us of the powerful truth Jesus taught: “Whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39). When we “lose” our lives in service to others, we find connection, purpose, and joy.