TO SERVE OR NOT TO SERVE

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross,” (Philippians 2:5-8, NASB).

When Jesus came to earth as the Jewish Messiah, He wasn’t what His nation expected. They were looking for a powerful king who’d liberate them from the Romans. While He could have banished the Roman presence from the region, that was not the mission His Father gave Him. Rather, “‘the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many,’” (Matthew 20:28, NASB).

Jesus left the glories of heaven and humbled Himself to take on the status of a bondservant – which was at the time a permanent, unpaid slave and the ultimate demonstration of servitude. The Son of God came into the world, willing to do whatever His Father commanded. And that included dying on a cross for undeserving sinners like you and me.

A servant isn’t independent or self-centered but is instead focused on doing whatever his or her master says. That’s our calling as we follow in Christ’s footsteps of selfless service. Are we willing to accept this humble position? Culture may think we’re weak and foolish, but by serving others without grumbling, we prove ourselves to be a child of God and a powerful light in a dark world.

~ Jeff