Be A Servant

And Jesus concluded, “So those who are last will be first, and those who are first will be last.” Matthew 20:16 (GNT)

I had back to back meetings scheduled. It was one of those days where the list of things to do was longer than the hours available. So my mind went into “get ‘er done” mode. You know, super focused on the task at hand.

Right now, all my meetings are via Zoom or Teams. I joined the meeting scheduled with Andy. And I waited. And waited. Where was he? I checked the meeting invite and he accepted. So, I waited some more all the while thinking about how I had too much to do to sit here and wait.

After 10 minutes I disconnected. I sent Andy an email and said “Something must have come up since you didn’t join. Let me know when you want to reschedule.” I was polite because this was business but inside I was annoyed. This was not professional. A simple text if you get hung up will suffice or an email or something.

Two minutes after I disconnected Andy reached out and said “I got caught up on another meeting. Can you join now?” My first inclination was to say “No. My time is important. You don’t get to stand me up. You couldn’t text? You couldn’t connect? No! I’m busy.” BUT, I’ve been trying to practice abiding in Jesus and not my own thoughts so I asked God “Do you want me to join this meeting?” He said “Be a servant.”

Great. I didn’t feel much like being a servant but that was pretty specific so I told Andy I could.

As we talked he explained that he was in a meeting with someone who didn’t allow phones so he couldn’t text. The person was pretty high up in the food chain too so if the meeting goes long, you aren’t going to tell them you have to go. Then, he asked me about the project I was leading and offered to help in any way he could to make it easier for me. He also affirmed the work I was doing.

After I hung up, I reflected on the meeting and how positive it ended up being even when my attitude wasn’t. And then I realized something else. God didn’t say “Join the meeting because Andy has a good reason.” He didn’t say “Join the meeting because he’s going to affirm and help you.” He said “Be a servant.”

It reminded me that God isn’t as interested in my to do list as he is my heart. He is more interested in how I treat people even when I am feeling overwhelmed with too much to do. He is interested in who I am becoming on the inside. He wants me to become last in a world of people trying to be first.

I am sure I have a lot to learn on this abiding journey. I am sure I will become too task focused again in the future (that is how I’m wired) but I know He will keep teaching me and growing me.  PRAISE!

A Minute In It - The Servant's Role

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then answer the questions at the bottom of the post.

7 “Suppose one of you has a servant who is plowing or looking after the sheep. When he comes in from the field, do you tell him to hurry along and eat his meal? 8 Of course not! Instead, you say to him, ‘Get my supper ready, then put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may have your meal.’ 9 The servant does not deserve thanks for obeying orders, does he? 10 It is the same with you; when you have done all you have been told to do, say, ‘We are ordinary servants; we have only done our duty.’” Luke 17:7-10 (GNT)

Can you summarize this passage in your own words?

What stood out to you in this passage?

Who are you in the story?

What is your reaction to this story?

What is God trying to tell you?

How are you going to obey?

Feet Makeovers

How beautiful on the mountains
    are the feet of the messenger who brings good news,
the good news of peace and salvation,
    the news that the God of Israel reigns! Isaiah 52:7 (NLT)

How can feet be beautiful? Sure, there are some people who have very elegant looking feet. They are shaped well, no callouses and weird bumps but it’s kind of unusual. We often try to hide our feet or cover them up with fancy shoes or polish.

But the Bible says feet are beautiful. Not just any feet. The feet of the messenger who brings the good news of Jesus. And really, if you think about it, Jesus had the most beautiful feet of all. His feet traveled miles on dusty roads sharing the Good News with people. His feet eventually had a spike driven through them to seal the deal. Those feet that were pierced and bleeding are beautiful.

Are your feet beautiful? Are they running all over your neighborhood or community sharing love and kindness with people? Are they tired and achy because they’ve stood all day helping someone who needed help? Are they sitting next to someone in need as you hold their hand?

How will people ever know about Jesus and how beautiful his feet were if we don’t tell them? Romans 10:14-15 says:

But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

I want to have beautiful feet. Not because I polished them and made them acceptable for human eyes but because they are imitating Jesus feet in service.

A Servant's Role Model

Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.  So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist,  and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. John 13:3-5 (NLT)

I’ve been listening to a book recently and one of the chapters was on Serving. This topic also came up recently in a Bible Study. We were talking about coming to church with an attitude of giving instead of receiving. Some people said they came to church to serve and didn’t expect to receive and that was OK because they received from God in other ways. Some thought coming to serve and receive wasn’t a bad thing….and it is not.

Maybe it boils down to our hearts? Are we serving to check the box? You know, because it is the thing we have to do to be Christians? Are we serving because we see others as an object to check that box? Are we serving because we can see in the hierarchy of things we are low man on the totem pole and we need to be the one serving?

So what should serving look like? As I pondered this, I thought about Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. In John 13 it says he knew that God had given all authority to him. He was at the top of the “universe chain” and he knew it. And as he realized that, what did he do? He got up from the table, took a towel and basin of water and proceeded to be a servant. He kneeled on the floor, took off the sandals of every single disciple (including Judas) and washed the dirt and grime from their feet. He tenderly dried each foot. I can imagine praying over their feet as he did it.

Jesus didn’t just do the job of a servant because there is no servant who would perform this job with so much love. It was much more than that. That’s who he was. He didn’t serve because it was a job he had to do, he served because at his core he was a servant. We have to imitate that.

When we stop serving because it’s the right thing to do and serve because it’s who we are, then our lives and our world will change. Then, we will be serving like Jesus did.

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Philippians 2:6 (NLT)

Not So With You

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as 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 slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Mark 10:42-45 (NIV)

It was his last days before he was to face the cross head on. He was trying to share some last lessons with the disciples. Important lessons. Things they needed to remember. But, they were distracted.

What were they distracted with?  They were distracted with who was going to be most important in his kingdom. They were jockeying to see who would rule. I would scoff at this and say "Really?" but I can't. Because I look around our world and I look at myself in the mirror and my brain still goes to this same place. As much as I hate it, those thoughts still pop into my head. What was Jesus' response?

Not so with you.

No matter what the world is doing, no matter how important you think it is to be important, you need to be different.

Jesus, Savior of the World, came as a servant. That is our model. Feeling like we've done something important or great; that is not what matters. What matters is did we point to Jesus enough. Does what we are doing cause people to reflect on him alone.

Not so with you. I need to repeat this to myself over and over again. 

Jesus, make me different. Amen

Your One Life

Whatever work you do, do your best, because you are going to the grave, where there is no working, no planning, no knowledge, and no wisdom. Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NCV)

Recently, I got to attend a church planting event. The presenters were people who God had called in some way to share who He is with people.  Any people.  People in their community, people in their town, state, and yes, world....whatever!  I was truly blessed by the men and women whose passion is doing whatever it is God puts in their path. 

One of the presenters asked "What is God going to say happened with your one life?"

Made me think a minute......or actually for many minutes. God may not be calling me to be involved with a world-wide movement. He may not even be calling me to be a city-wide movement. But he is calling me.  He is calling every single one of us to something.

Everyone's calling is unique to them. God does not call any two people to the same thing. You know why? Because he uses you in your own skin. He uses you where you are. So let me ask you....

What is God calling you to do?  What Big Dream has he put on your heart? What will you do with the one life you have? My prayer is that I use this one life in such a way that when I see God face to face that he will say "Well Done!"

Who Is Better?

Don't do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves. And look out for one another's interests, not just for your own. Philippians 2:3-4 (GNT)

We read these verses and we think "Yes! we should always think of others better than ourselves." But, we rarely do. If we were going to be real and honest about it, we may think of others as equal to ourselves but rarely do we think better.

What does someone have to do for you to think of them as better? Usually, they need to be more educated, an expert in something, have done some heroic act, served in some way, have more money. Our lists are long.

But not Jesus. He was always reaching out to people others rejected. He was always caring for those that were outcast. He chose to mingle and dine and live among those in society that were deemed not worthy to live life with. But probably one of the most poignant acts of his life was at the end. It clearly demonstrated what Jesus thought of 'the pecking order.'

Jesus was the Teacher. He was the Master. In his group of disciples, he was at the top of the chain. The disciples were next and then after them would come any servants of the household. When they were eating their last meal together, there were no servants. When they walked into the house there was no one there to wash their feet and remove the dirt before they placed them next to the table. Tradition said that only the servants did that. They were not servants so they did not do it. 

But Jesus did. He took off his outer clothing, took the basin and the towel and began to fulfill the task of the servant. He placed them in a position that was better than himself - even though he was/is the King of the World.

As I reflect on this, I know I have a very long way to go before I am modeling Jesus in this way. My heart and mind do not always reflect the attitude of a servant and I am not accustomed to thinking of everyone as better than myself.

Father God, please. Help me in this. Make me more like Jesus. Amen