Serve?

Good Morning,

Matthew 20:25-28 (NIV)
Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Today we read verses that are extremely difficult for many...because of the way we've been raised up in this world. Now, I would say this because of the way we've been raised up in "today's" world, but I would venture to guess that people have been raised up pretty much the same way since the beginning of time. That is, the world tells us we need to put ourselves first and foremost, above everyone and everything else. You know, the "me, me, me" kind of thinking. In the world, it's who's "first" that is important and has power, fame, and money.

Jesus, however, gives us a different point of view and tells us that he who wishes to be great must first be a servant and he who wishes to be first must be a slave. Uh, oh! This does NOT sit well with those of the world and who have a worldly attitude. The challenge here is the fact that even many Christians cannot bear to think of being a servant, but would rather be the one served. However, even Jesus did NOT come to be served...the King of kings and Lord of lords...but He came to serve all of mankind and give up His very life as a ransom for us.

That brings us to the difficult decisions we have to make about serving one another. They are difficult because we've not been raised to even THINK about serving, let alone actually DOING the serving. So, it's a change of mind set; a change of attitude; a change of perception for us if we wish to be obedient to what Jesus tells us in these verses. For many of us it is, will be, extremely difficult. Unfortunately, there are those of us who will miss out on so many blessings because we simply cannot have the change of mind that we need and will not be able to be a true servant. Yes, sometimes the truth is a difficult thing to face.

So, how do we go about this "serving" thing? I would say that the first thing we need to do is some self examination on how we see those who serve. What do we think about servants? Here is where we'll find the changes we might have to make in both our thought processes and the way we go about living our lives. If we see servants as people who are "below" us in any way, well, we've got to change how we think in that area. Anyone who finds himself/herself with this kind of perception about servants will have a most difficult time making that change of mind. But, it's necessary if we're to actually change what we've been taught and go about taking action on what Jesus tells us. The good news here is that if we CAN change how we think in this area, then the DOING will be much easier. The logical progression of thinking a certain way and then carrying out that thought process into action is not difficult. It pretty much all boils down to our minds.

Here's where we need much prayer and we need the Holy Spirit to help us. Most of us can't change our minds as easily as it sounds. I don't think that many of us can do this on our own. We need God to help us and guide us through what could be a difficult time. It is a process here that we're talking about, not a single action to just do. It may take some time. We've got to be open to God's leading and direction. We will have to listen and pay attention to that "still small voice" which will tell us whether we're making progress or not. However, no matter how difficult, it is worth it. Just think about the possible rewards. That should give us some motivation.

Serving isn't easy. I don't think it's meant to be. But, it IS what we're supposed to do and it IS how we're supposed to live our lives.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David