The Nature of a Servant

“I am a servant. I am waiting for the call.”
- Larry Norman
 
“Servants serve.”
- Pastor Bernie
 
“I am among you as the one who serves.” (Luke 22:27, ESV)
- Jesus
 
Servants take the initiative to serve. They don't wait for an invitation because it is in their nature to serve. When you take the time to observe a true servant a few things stand out. They see things that most people overlook. They are first to the task. While others talk, they do. While others cringe at doing ugly tasks, they roll up their sleeves and dive in.  Servants are not concerned about the tasks that have been given to others; they are focused on the duties that they are responsible for.  
 
If we could pull back the veil on God’s full glory just for a moment, our view toward serving Him would be forever changed.  It is an honor to serve an earthly king, but to be able to serve the King of kings and Lord of lords should be our greatest honor.  There is a time to count the cost of following the Lord, but if we are to be servants of the Most High, we must move beyond the counting stage of our relationship.  When He speaks, we obey.  When we see Him working, we join in that work.  To draw attention to ourselves by focusing on what great sacrifice we have made in our service to God is the opposite spirit of a servant.  In contrast, the nature of a servant was described so well by John the Baptist when he said of the Lord, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30, ESV)  
 
Before we can serve together in ministry, we must first determine if we are willing to be a servant.  This is where we give up our right to call the shots.  This is when we tell the Lord, “Not my will but yours be done.”  Many times people will say that they are having a hard time obeying the Lord.  This is not the vocabulary of a true servant.  “Yes, Lord” is the response of the servant.  It is not enough to sing “Yes, Lord”; there must be immediate obedience to God’s commands.  Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.”  Either we love Him, or we don’t.  Either we have laid down our lives and our will, or we haven’t.  Let us be those who honor the Lord, who worship Him, both in spirit and in truth.  This is the nature of a servant.  Let us encourage each other to live as servants.  Then we will be serving together as we together are built up in the reality of the nature of Christ.