Serving Others

When someone talks about Jesus, we tend to think about how He was the Son of God and the Savior of the world, which He is. But we tend to gloss over the fact Jesus was also a servant.

The bulk of His public ministry was spent in serving others. The most explicit example was when He washed the disciples' feet during the Last Supper. (John 13:3-11.)

But what does being a servant mean? Should we go around washing feet all day long? Does it just mean doing stuff at church like teaching a Sunday School or ushering?

Not necessarily. Being in a ministry doesn't automatically make you a servant. We can be in positions like teacher or deacon and concentrate on helping ourselves. Being a servant means voluntarily putting aside yourself and your own needs and desires to help someone else. Serving isn't about self; it's about others. It's about seeing a need and meeting it.

While meeting that need, we should not say, “Look what I did.” “For you were not called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.” (Galatians 5:13, NASB.) Think about waiters at a restaurant, or servants in movies. They perform their tasks quietly and stay in the background. It should be the same with us.

When Jesus served, He didn't care abut social standing, peoples' pasts, or their circumstances. Nobody was “too dirty” for Him. He helped prostitutes, tax collectors, beggars, and those who were demon possessed. In the same way we shouldn't consider a job or person too beneath us to help.
 
Jesus said the greatest would be a servant, someone willing to sacrifice themselves for someone. “But the greatest of you shall be your servant.” (Matthew 23:11, NASB.) Are you willing to do that today?