July 21

Servanthood

"Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom." Matthew 20:26,28

The Pharisees were all about lording it over those who were beneath them. They sought to promote themselves; never others. Jesus saw this same spirit creeping into his circle of disciples and he sought to nip it in the bud. How different are the words of Jesus to those of the world around us! He tells us greatness is not about you or me at all, it is about others. The way to have influence with people is not to push yourselves with ambition, but to lay aside your needs, your comforts and your advancement and replace them with the needs and comforts of those around you. When people see that you are not trying to use them but are truly seeking to serve them, the response will be overwhelming. Do your family members, your coworkers, your fellow churchgoers see you as a servant? When they do, they will be changed. When they feel that they are the objects of your concern and not a means to an end, they will be open to hearing about the one you serve. Servanthood is the best way to share Jesus with others. Jesus showed his disciples over 2000 years ago that he cared for them by living the life of a servant. Jesus showed us the way to greatness with his life. There is only one way to greatness and that is on our knees, serving others.

Lord Jesus, how we thank you for setting the record straight all those years ago! Thank you for showing us that greatness is only found in servanthood and not in serving ourselves. We thank you for your example and for showing us the way. May we ever be faithful to that which you have set before us. Help us to live the life of a servant as you did and help us to reach out to all around us with a servant's heart. Amen.