But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10: 43-45 ESV

     Jesus lead by example each and every day, the life he calls all Christians to emulate. Never did he say nor imply, “Do as I say not as I do.” He instructed his disciple to do the same by teaching them to be a servant to everyone. (Mark 9:35) It seems backward in thought to say: if you want to be great, be a servant. Traditional thought would say: a servant serves great people. No one will ever be greater than Jesus who was God in the flesh, yet he, as he calls us to be, was a servant to all.
     How are we to be servants today as Christians? We serve. In the years I have served as pastor, I can easily count how many times I have been ask this question, “ If I become a part of this church, how and where will I be able to serve? ” On the other hand, I cannot begin to count how many times I’ve been asked some form this question, “ If I become a part of this church, what does it have to offer me?” A church will never be a great church until those who make up that church body seek how to become servants of one another. We all have different gifts and talents which have been given to us by God. It is called a gift because it is to be given in service to others. Servants are people of action, not simply spectators of all that is going on around them. In order to be a person of action, remember the teaching of Jesus.

Be A Servant:
     In the gospel of Mark we do not read about Jesus birth. This gospel begins with Jesus as an adult doing ministry. In the first couple of chapters he is healing people, casting out evil spirits, having dinner with sinners, and answering questions. Jesus shows us that he was a person of action. He did not just talk about doing service; he did service. We become servants by doing whatever God has put before us to do no matter how big or small. As in Psalm 100: 2 ESV  – Serve the Lord with gladness!  Psalm 100 tells us where to begin as servants. It would do you well to read the whole 100th Psalm and begin there, for it gives a clear picture of the God we serve.

Be A Slave:
     You may say, “I’m a slave to no one nor will I be,” but you would be wrong. Romans 6:16 ESV teaches, Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? Jesus said it this way, “Everyone who practice sin is a slave to sin” John 8:34 ESV
Years ago a singer named Bob Dylan, wrote these lyrics, “You’re gonna serve somebody, yes indeed you’re gonna have to serve somebody Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” As Christians we have been bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus, and we are no longer our own. (1 Corinthians 6: 19-20) Therefore, we having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. Romans 6:18 ESV

Give your life:
     You will never be able to out-give God, but you need to die trying. To give your life to God is to surrender your will to his. You ‘die trying’ by living every day for him until, as we all will, you die. In Mark 8: 34-35 ESV, Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.” Give your life to God, for he gave his life for you!

To be a servant is a choice. My prayer for myself and all Christians is to have the resolve of Joshua when he said, “And if it its evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. BUT AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD. Joshua 24:15 ESV Choose by following the person who was the greatest example of a servant that ever lived……. JESUS.

Because of His Grace ~ Pastor David