Do you have a servant’s heart? To such a person, no job is too small or beneath us — any way we can help is great! We realize we are here to serve. The person with a servant’s heart means not only put others’ needs ahead of our own but to serve with the right motivation – that is to put God’s will first. Our serving is to be selfless, focused on others, and not about power, fame, or credit.
When Jesus called James and John to follow Him, He referred to them as “Sons of Thunder.” (Mark 3:17) He was well aware of their bombastic personalities.
In Luke 9:52-53 CBS, we read “He sent messengers ahead of Himself, and on the way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make preparations for Him. But they did not welcome Him, because He determined to journey to Jerusalem. (54) When the disciples, James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?”
The Samaritans’ reactions were not surprising. Prejudice and tension had existed between them and the Jews for years. The Samaritans were half-breeds. They were partly Jewish and they had adamantly rejected Jerusalem as a place of worship. (John 4:19-20) Maybe, James and John were thinking about Elijah and how he had called down fire from heaven in his contest with the false prophets of Baal. In addition, they had seen Elijah appear on a mountain with our LORD, when He was transfigured before them. (Luke 9:28-36)
Not only were James and John bombastic, but they were also self-centered. In Mark 10:35-37 we read “James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached Him and said, “Teacher, we want you to do whatever we ask you.” “What do you want me to do for you?” He asked them. They answered Him, “Allow us to sit at your right and your left in your glory.” In other words, we would like the best seats in your Father’s house. We would like the seats of honor. They were self-centered, looking out for themselves.
When the rest of the apostles heard how James and John had tried to out-maneuver them, they were livid and resentful. Jesus turned to teach the entire group a very powerful lesson.
In Mark 10:42-45 we read, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. But it is not so among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. For even the Son of Man, did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Folks, please dwell on that last statement … “For even the Son of Man, did not come to be served, but to give his life as a ransom for all.” Talk about a servant’s heart! Do you have that kind of heart? The disciples were not to look to secular leaders for their models. Rather, they were to look to Jesus as their model. He came to serve, which included the giving of His life for us. Here are some things to reflect on:
1. Jesus is looking for dedicated men and women who will use their natural leadership abilities to become servant leaders. He wants us to follow Him and allow our God-created energies to be brought under the control of the Holy Spirit, to be used for the glory of our Lord and the good of others.
In Romans 12:1-3, Paul wrote “Therefore, brothers and sisters, because of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.”
· Are you self-centered in your thinking?
· Do you seek places of power and prestige?
· Or, are you thinking about the example and sacrifice that Jesus made for you and others?
2. Jesus wants our competitive tendencies to be used to advance His kingdom — not ours.
· It is not wrong to give our very best and be regarded for it.
· Our motivation in our serving should always be to bring honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. When we are successful, we should always thank Him.
· We should never use our position(s) to lord it over others, we are to lead by example.
In closing, I want to say there are so many ways for you to serve at Jubilee.
1. We have people who need rides to doctor appointments, to the grocery store, or to see a loved one in a nursing home. We have several people who, for various reasons, have lost their driver’s licenses. You could serve the Lord and them by offering to drive.
2. Have you been blessed with the ability to fix things? Our “Helping Hands Ministry” could use your abilities to help people who have things needing repair. Some of our widows don’t know who to call or trust. Either they or our benevolence ministry can pay for the parts needed to fix the problem. If you are a handy person, you could honor the Lord by using your talents and skills to help others.
3. We have lunches or dinners at the church frequently and could use help in set-up, decorations, serving the food, and clean-up afterward. Would you make yourself available for any of these areas?
If you are willing to help carry the load, use the Information Card, give us your information, and write on the card in what way(s) you feel you could bless others.
For His Glory,
Pastor Leonard
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT …
Better to love God and die unknown than to love the world and be a hero.
Better to be content with poverty than to die a slave to wealth.
Better to have taken some risks and lost than to have done nothing and succeeded at it.
Better to have lost some battles than to have retreated from the war.
Better to have failed when serving God than to have succeeded when serving the devil.
What a tragedy to climb the ladder of success only to discover that the ladder was leaning against the wrong wall.
Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer
