This month I felt the Lord convicting me to be very intentional in serving others on an every day basis. I feel like overall, I am a good servant and find things to do for others, but I had a deep desire to realize that it’s my new nature, who He says I am, and I want servanthood to be my natural response at all times. Typically, it’s something I have to think about doing or motivate myself to do, rather than truly walking from the honor that it truly is.
As my mind began to turn on this idea of serving, I began to wonder reasons that it’s not my first reaction, or potential root issues that this could be related to.
As a team this month we went through a sermon series by Judah Smith called Enjoying God. In one of the parts of the series, he began discussing servant hood and instantly my mind was blown with this idea that serving others can be directly related to your identity and security in Christ.
True servants – yes I said true servants, meaning servants with right motives and a right heart rather than trying to gain approval, work for recognition or out of works-based righteousness – have to be secure in who they are in Christ. This is so true.
When you are a servant you have to realize that what you do and your position isn’t your identity or represent your level of rank with others, but to be assured of your righteousness in Christ. When you put others before yourself, it’s easy to get in the mindset that that’s where you fit in with society and status. I think of janitors. What servants they are and how life wouldn’t be the same without them, but what if they walked around all day despising themselves because they scrub toilets and thought that’s all they were worth.
Same concept here.
Typically the word that comes to mind when talking about those that serve is humble, but never do I immediately partner it with confidence.
When I was trying to fit these two concepts together, I was reminded of all of the times that I have walked in a room and felt paralyzed by insecurity because of the people that surrounded me. My first thought wasn’t to serve because I feared others would judge me because they may be better at something than me, or I thought to myself that if I was the one to do the “lesser than things,” than it meant that I was lesser than.
However, true servants walk in a room and aren’t wondering where they rank or comparing themselves to others, but they are wondering who they can serve.
When we fall into the trap of comparison, we prove that we aren’t secure in who we are. However, many times it’s our first response and the reason we don’t act as we have been called to.
I found that one’s desire to serve can be directly related to their security in themselves. So in this, I am praying that the Lord continually reveals to me who I am in Him and in that find a heart to serve others greater than I have before and out of heart that simply enjoys to do so for no other reason than to love others. I don’t want behavior modification, I want a heart revelation – and boy, is there such a difference.
Jesus, himself, says in Matthew 20:28:
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus himself was fully confident in his self and in that was able to serve and serve well. He understood that He didn’t need to prove himself to anyone and what He did didn’t define who he was, but what He did was a natural response to who the Lord said that He was. Often times we are victims of being so focused on proving ourselves to others and ourselves that we miss the opportunity to focus on truly serving others.
The Lord calls all of us to serve. However, sometimes our worldly view of a servant strikes insecurities in us and doesn’t allow for us to follow through with that command. Or insecurities motivate us to serve in a way that’s not derived from Godly intentions, which is just as bad as not serving.
I would challenge you to find where you stand with serving.
When you think of serving, do you think you’re too good for it?
When you think of serving, is that where you find your identity?
When you think of serving, is it derived from healthy motivation?
Do you serve? If so, why? What is your motivation?
Or are you truly serving with right motives from a place of who you are, rather than a place of seeking that through your works?
I heard a quote one time that I will never forget,
“We shouldn’t minister for the approval of God, but we should minister from the approval of God.”
God already accepts us. He says we are righteous. He approves of us.
When we fully realize that we are here to please Him and Him alone, I truly believe we will be better servants of others–
May it start with me.
