Tag Archives: Serving

Daring to Be a Servant

16 Tuesday Mar 2021

Posted by in Bible, Christian, Christianity, Church, Faith, God, Inspiration, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Life, Love, Religion, Religious, Spiritual

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We live in a world that has become increasingly selfish and self-centered. It seems that many are only living in this life to please themselves rather than to serve others. As a result, there is a devaluation of others, rather than there being a focus on encouraging and esteeming our neighbors. When the object of self is the desire, it becomes difficult to see the needs of those around us.

This can create an entire social structure that is predicated on selfish ambition, rather than civil and collective servitude. But what does it mean to be a servant? What does it mean to be in the mode of serving others?

In John 13: 12-15 Jesus is seen washing the feet of His disciples. As He does so, he has a conversation with them that ties into the concept of serving:

“When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.”

Foot washing in the Bible was seen as one of the ordinances of the early and first church. It also symbolized humility and service unto others. If we think about Jesus for a minute, He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords which means that He has been given the role of having the ultimate authority by God. In the scripture above, Jesus is asking the disciples if they understand what He has done for them. Despite Him having the role of Teacher and Lord, He makes it clear that He had a distinct purpose for washing the disciple’s feet. Take note that Jesus says that He Himself is the example of servanthood or being a servant. Then He says, that the disciples are to also do the same as Jesus did.

There are really three principles that can be taken from the above scripture:

  1. Serving others is a selfless act – To serve means to take others into consideration and not to esteem oneself so highly. Being a servant is about ensuring that others are cared for and that their needs are being met before yours. It takes very little energy to receive, but it takes more energy and commitment to serve someone else. When a person is a servant, they are producing the fruit of humility and service to others expecting nothing in return. It is not about self, rather, it is about doing good unto those around you first.
  2. Serving others has nothing to do with position – We live in a world that is full of hierarchies. Positions such as President, King, Queen, Prime Minister, and even other leadership positions related to business, they exist all around us. However, regardless of any position, service is an independent act. There are those who believe that their position in leadership causes them to be immune to being a servant. In other words, some believe that they do not need to serve others, that their position of leadership elevates them above everyone else. However, Jesus shows us that even if one is in a prime position of leadership by title, serving is not optional but should be expected.
  3. Jesus is the model for servanthood – Jesus Christ is the model for humanity to follow in all areas, but specifically, He models serving others. In the scripture noted above, Jesus makes it clear that He is the sole example of serving. We as Christ followers should look to Jesus as our example for leading and serving.

So, the question here is, will you dare to be a servant? In a society that postures itself on self-gratification will you seek to serve others instead? Serving is not as easy as it sounds, because it involves sacrifice and a steady desire to fulfill the needs of those around you before yourself. However, there is a reward that occurs when we serve others. It is the fact that we are using our gifts, skills, time, and talent to help someone else. It then means we become fulfilled in our own lives and the cycle of service continues to spread.

Do you know Jesus in the pardon of your sins? If you don’t know Christ, today is a great day to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Once you come to the knowledge of Christ and have a relationship with Him, He will enable you to serve others with a heart that is fixed solely upon fulfilling needs as opposed to receiving for selfish gain. Look to Jesus Christ, as He is our example.

Seeking the Eternal Richness of God

29 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by in Bible, Christian, Christianity, Faith, God, Inspiration, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Life, Love, Spiritual

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If you were to conduct a poll concerning the desire to achieve financial abundance or to gain great wealth, you would find that the majority of individuals polled would agree that it is to some degree a goal or at the very least a desire.  Even if it is a fantasy, to be wealthy or to have more than enough financially speaking is what many aspire to achieve. It is true that in every society it is necessary to earn a living in order to survive.

However, most humans spend their lives working their way upward on the corporate ladder in order to achieve personal and financial success.  While all of us must work in order to create stability within our lives, it is the constant pursuit of money and objects that can and will create an instability. In many cultures around the world, it is considered positive if you have obtained a great or a considerable amount of wealth.

Our world today has become consumed with the idea that having material assets is what equates to happiness and satisfaction. Daily, television commercials and internet ads are produced with the intent to invoke the user or viewer to purchase a new product.  Much of the latest gadgets such as smartphones, for example, are constantly sold with the idea that you the consumer must have the ‘latest and greatest’ or you are far behind. As a result, there are many who are enticed by the clarion of large corporations that push the latest attractions – and those who are open to this bombardment heed the call. Money and an acquisition of material possessions have long since been a staple of human life from one generation to the next.

However, the hidden truth about seeking to be fulfilled by materialistic acquisitions is that to gain temporary treasure is to profit nothing of value in the eternal sense. In the book of Matthew Chapter 6, Jesus is addressing and teaching various principles to His Disciples.  In verses 19-24, Jesus touches on the topic of having wealth.  Notice what the first verse of this passage says:

Verse 19:

(NLT) “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.”

Jesus gives the instruction for us not to collect or store up treasures for ourselves here on Earth.  The reason why Jesus wants to dissuade us against collecting treasures or Earthly things is because they are temporary.  He uses the imagery of the destruction that moths and rust can and will cause to material possessions.  For example, the moth which is a winged insect is commonly known to be a nuisance to personal property.

Research shows that moths in their larvae form (before they reach their adult stage) are actually known to destroy clothing, however, the concept of the destruction of moths is essentially the same.  Even as it relates to rust, metal items eventually rust due to exposure over time from oxygen and moisture. The whole point of using this imagery is so that we can understand just how temporary the acquisition of material things truly is. Jesus continues in the next two verses:

Verses 20-21:

(NLT) “Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

Jesus says in verse 20 to store our treasures in Heaven.  Why does He instruct us to store our treasures in Heaven, and what are the ‘treasures’ that He is referring to? There are a couple of points to examine from verses 20-21:

1. Heaven is a place that is incorruptible – Here on Earth there are a myriad of examples in which Earthly things are corruptible or temporary. Nothing we gain here on Earth in the materialistic sense will last forever. Regardless of how much money you earn in your lifetime, or what material possessions you gain, there will at some point come a time in which your material possessions will fade away.

However, in Heaven, nothing is corruptible which means it is a place that is eternal. Jesus also says that “thieves do not break in and steal.” How often have you consciously secured your belongings?  Probably as often as you can, because we live in a world that has become so consumed with having property and currency that it is constantly under the threat of theft.  However, Heaven is a place where theft does not occur.

2. The treasures to be stored in Heaven are non-material – Material gain and wealth eventually fade and profit nothing towards eternity.  However, it is what a person does with their time especially for the sake of building God’s Kingdom that will last.  A passage from 1 Corinthians Chapter 3 verses 11-14 says the following:

(NLV) “Jesus Christ is the Stone on which other stones for the building must be laid. It can be only Christ. Now if a man builds on the Stone with gold or silver or beautiful stones, or if he builds with wood or grass or straw, each man’s work will become known. There will be a day when it will be tested by fire. The fire will show what kind of work it is. If a man builds on work that lasts, he will receive his reward.”

What the Apostle Paul is saying in this scripture is that Jesus Christ is the foundation that we must build our lives upon.  Having Christ as your foundation is the first step to moving toward a life that will yield great fruit. A life that has its foundation built upon the temporal things of this world only leads to a life that is empty in the pursuit of ‘the next best thing.’ What Paul is also saying in this scripture is that every person’s work or service is what will be counted.

He says, “There will be a day when it will be tested by fire. The fire will show what kind of work it is.” This means that every single person will be judged by God based on how they lived and what they did with their lives. It is important to note that this scripture is not suggesting that you and I can be saved based on our works.  We are not saved by works, but by the grace offered to us because of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice.  What Paul is addressing here are the works that will last.  What are the works that will last?  The only legacy or works that God will accept is only what gives Him greater glory. 

In other words, if your life has not been yielded to God through Jesus Christ, then your works in this Earth will be burned in the fire (judgment before God) and counted as nothing suitable.  The reason is because the works we do in our flesh are corruptible. However, the work we do by God’s Spirit are eternal.

Looking at verse 21 of Matthew 6, Jesus says, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Whatever is most important to you is what you will serve.  If money and material possessions are important to you, then your life will be centered around the quest to achieve temporary prosperity. Jesus says in of verse 24,

(NLT) “No one can have two bosses. He will hate the one and love the other. Or he will listen to the one and work against the other. You cannot have both God and riches as your boss at the same time.” 

The whole point that Jesus is making here is that you cannot serve both God and material wealth.  There are so many who have either committed idolatry by serving their money and their possessions, or they have tried to serve both God and what they have.  However, God desires that we serve Him with our whole heart and being.

A lot of what the world advertises today is temporal and it will leave many dry at the end of their lives. Instead of seeking the next best thing, we should seek the eternal richness of God. It can only be found in Jesus Christ.  If you don’t know Jesus as your Lord & Savior, this is a perfect time to find God’s eternal richness.  Only in Christ and what you do for God will last. Without Him, your life will be in abject poverty in the spiritual sense.  The richness that God has to offer will last throughout your life and into eternity.