Servanthood

Luke 22:26–27 (NLT)

But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.

Jesus, in the final hours before being taken away to face the cross, shares one of His final lessons while here on earth. You see, this lesson comes on the heels of the disciples arguing over who is the greatest. All the time they spent with Jesus and in the final hours they were arguing; these things are all too common among us today. We really see this with kids early in childhood; as children want to be first, and shove and push to be first in line. You see, we try to excuse this behavior by saying we are very competitive, a go getter, or an over achiever. But Jesus was trying to tell us about servanthood.

Servanthood is becoming lost, as many seek to be served rather than to serve. Jesus gave us an example in His life of serving others. This daily exercise tired Him as people thronged to be near to Him, yet He still prayed early in the morning to seek the will of the Father and went on with that day’s work, finishing in prayer. Jesus served until the end. For us, serving doesn't come natural; it is something we need to be conscience of so we can do the will of the Father in our life. For some it may be as simple as serving in our home to our spouse or children. For others, the calling may be expanded to include a ministry, or to serve those in your workplace, maybe even to serve those who despise you.

Jesus tells us earlier, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve”, we are not here to be served. While there are seasons where we are served, we are not to be sidelined watching. We are to serve and take up the example that Jesus gives us, and serve. I encourage you to explore servanthood in your life, take Jesus as your example and minister to others as you are led by the Holy Spirit...