Not to be Served!

Jesus lived his life in the same matter by which he was born.  Humble.  Simple.  And, servant-like.  Jesus’ motive was pure and transparent.  He loved people so much that he went out of his way to help others have a better day, better health, and better life.  Washing the disciples feet, healing the sick, opening the eyes of the blind, opening the ears of the deaf, helping a scarred disciple from sinking into the deep waters, feeding thousands, and using his body as a sacrifice for our sins is a true testimony of the Jesus way of life

Albert Einstein said is well, "Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile."  This is Jesus!  Ralph Waldo Emerson must have gotten a glimpse of Jesus, too when he said, "Religion is to do right. It is to love, it is to serve, it is to think, it is to be humble."

Mahatma Gandhi was a walking Jesus in service to others.  He said, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."

Service is not an attention getter to self, but rather, to place the attention on the needs of others and to model the service attitude of Jesus.  The best way to be a Jesus server to others is to model the following traits:

Be a servant:  Greatness in the kingdom is not achieved by who is first, but rather by being a willing servant to one another.  Jesus said to his disciples in Mark 10:43-45,  “...Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 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.”

Richard Foster wrote, "When we choose to be a servant, we give up the right to be in charge."  The essence of life is not about being in charge or the leader or the top dog.  The essence of life is about modeling the servant life so that the needs of others are met and the attention and glory is given to Jesus Christ!

Be a humble and loving servant:  The world's view of service is:  Since I helped you, you help me.  I scratched your back, now you scratch mine.

Jesus modeled a service lifestyle much differently than even his disciples had known.  Jesus regarded service as a primary way of demonstrating love for those whom He served and a way to put importance of one person over another in perspective.  Jesus told his disciples to follow His example of showing true servanthood by washing each others feet in John 13:12-16, "After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow.

Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth; slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message."

In Jesus' day, feet washing were reserved for the household servant.  Since Jesus and His disciples were meeting in a place of secrecy, there would not have been any servants.  Remember, Jesus is getting ready to suffer and die for humanity.  The fact that Jesus donned on a servants garb and began to wash the feet of His disciples is truly a testimony of His character as the Son of Man and a demonstration of His unconditional love for His disciples.   The feet washing was a way for Jesus to teach these guys that the ministry will not be about who is more important, who will be first, who will sit at His right or left side, but rather, it was a way of tearing down the pride and ego of the disciples so that the servant heart towards one another would be seen as kingdom priority. 

We as a community of Christians must do the same.  Serving each other is vitally important for our community and for each other.  The Christian community in Acts 2 at the tail end of the chapter was all about serving one another.  When we do this as a community of believers will make huge a huge impact on our towns, cities, States, and Country.  Model Jesus by serving rather than be served!

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian