To All the Servants...

Did you ever dream of becoming a servant? Probably not, but once you entered the kingdom of God, that became your new title. No one is above serving. Jesus is referred to as a servant in the New Testament on many different occasions. But serving is not just about your actions – it’s more about your attitude than anything else!

There are many lessons that God wants you to learn throughout your life, but while He will provide the circumstances for you to learn them in, He won’t force you to learn them. That’s up to you. When God delivered the children of Israel from Egypt, they had what should have been an 11 day trip before they reached the Promised Land. But just because that trip should’ve taken only 11 days obviously didn’t mean it did. They circled the mountain for 40 years before they got to where they were going. Forty years! That just goes to show that God will provide the way, but it’s up to you how and when you get there. My point is that one of these lessons to be learned is how to be a servant, and for most of us, we stretch out that “11 day trip” into something much longer because we don’t get it the first time.

Many people are spiritually immature, and they don’t do something they know they should because they don’t feel like it. I can tell you right now that if you live your life based on your feelings, you’re in for one long roller coaster! One rough definition of spiritual maturity is doing what you know is right, even when you don’t feel like it. I don’t always feel like being Suzy Homemaker and taking care of things around the house, but I do it, not just for my husband and myself but for God. God is a God of order, and when your house is a mess and out of order, that can be an indicator that other areas may be out of order in your life as well.

Don’t be misled; serving is not just taking care of the two-year-olds one Sunday a month at church or being an usher every other weekend. Serving most often takes place outside of the four walls of your church. You can serve by putting the grocery cart away in the right spot in the parking lot or by putting your clothes back on the rack after you’ve tried them on at the store instead of piling them onto the already busy worker. You can serve by picking up trash in your neighborhood or by doing what your husband asks without that big sigh that says “I’m too busy to be bothered with this right now, but since I’m such a good, Christian wife, I’ll do it.” And just because “they have people who take car of that” doesn’t mean that you can’t give them a break and do it yourself.

Once you graduate from “doing nothing because you don’t feel like it” to getting into action serving, then you must look at your attitude. Why are you doing what you’re doing? Are you doing it to be seen by someone in hopes of gaining some kind of promotion? Are you doing it to gain social status or acceptance or are you doing it because you know that God is watching and would be pleased?

Colossians 3:23, 24 says, “Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily from the soul, as something done for the Lord and not for men, Knowing with all certainty that it is from the Lord and not from men that you will receive the inheritance which is your real reward. The One Whom you are actually serving is the Lord Christ the Messiah.” It’s easy to fall into the trap of feeling unappreciated when you’re serving, and that’s why it’s so important to remember that even if no one ever gives you a pat on the back for all of your hard work, God does. He sees every time you serve with a right heart, and He appreciates you! If you’ve fallen into the “woe is me, no one appreciates me” trap, climb out of it fast. Realize that your promotion and your reward ultimately come from God and God alone!
Becoming a true servant is a life-long process. If you’ve mastered serving in one area, tackle another that might not be so easy for you. You can always find a way to grow when it comes to serving!