Point to Ponder: We serve God by serving others.
Insight: Servants finish their tasks, fulfill their responsibilities, keep their promises, and complete their commitments. They don’t leave a job half undone, and they don’t quit when they get discouraged. They are trustworthy and dependable.
The world defines greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige, and positions. If we can demand service from others, we’ve arrived. In our self-serving culture with it is a me-first mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept. Jesus, however, measured your greatness by how many people we serve, not how many people serve us.
While knowing our shape is important for serving God, having the heart of a servant is even more important. Remember, God shaped us for service, not for self-centeredness. Without a servant’s heart, we will be tempted to misuse our shape for personal gain. We will be also tempted to use it as an excuse to exempt ourselves from meeting some needs.
Our primary ministry should be in the area of our shape, but our secondary service is wherever we’re needed at the moment. Our shape reveals our ministry, but our servant’s heart will reveal our maturity. Anyone can be a servant. All it requires is character.
Real servants make themselves available to serve – Servant’s don’t fill up time with other pursuits that could limit their availability. Real servants do what’s needed, even when its’ convenient.
Are you available to God anytime? Can He mess up our plans without us becoming resentful? As a servant, we don’t get to pick and choose when or where we will serve. Being a servant means giving up the right to control our schedule and allowing God to interrupt it whenever He needs to.
Real servants pay attention to needs – Servants are always on the lookout for ways to help out others. When God puts someone in need right in front of us, He is giving us the opportunity to grow in servant hood.
Real servants do their best with what they have – Servants don’t make excuses, procrastinate, or wait for better circumstances. God expects us to do what we can, with what we have, wherever we are. Less-than-perfect service is always better than the best intention. One reason many people never serve is that they fear they are not good enough to serve.
Real servants do every task with equal dedication – Whatever servants do; servants “do it with all their heart.” We will never arrive at the state in life where we’re too important to help with menial tasks. God will never exempt us from mundane. It’s vital part of our character curriculum.
Small tasks often show a big heart. No task is beneath us when we have a servant’s heart. Great opportunity often disguise themselves as small tasks. Don’t look for great tasks to do for God. Before attempting the extraordinary, try serving in ordinary ways.
Real servants are faithful to their ministry – Servants finish their tasks, fulfill their responsibilities, keep their promises, and complete their commitments. They don’t leave a job half undone, and they don’t quit when they get discouraged. They are trustworthy and dependable.
Faithfulness has always been a rare quality. Most people don’t know the meaning of commitment. They make commitments casually, then break them without the slightest reason without any hesitation, remorse, or regret. God is testing our faithfulness.
Real servants maintain a low profile – Servant’s don’t promote or call attention to themselves. Real servants don’t serve for the approval or applause of others. They live for an audience of One.
You won’t find many real servants in the limelight; in fact they avoid it when possible. They are content with quietly serving in the shadows. We may be serving in obscurity in some small place, feeling unknown and unappreciated. Listen: God put us where we are for a purpose! He has every hair on our head numbered, and He knows our address. The most significant service is often the service that is unseen.
My thoughts: As I read this chapter I couldn’t help but to think about Mother Teresa. I know many of us don’t dare to compare ourselves with her but she truly had a servant’s heart. She was an ordinary person doing extraordinary things. We need to stop thinking that we need to be extraordinary for God, He loves us just the way we are and He will use us just as we are. I am working on my servant’s heart and away from being self-centered. How about you?
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