A Servant in the Making

"For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them" (1 Cor. 9:19).

A thought entered into my head recently as I was complaining and grumbling about being a "servant" in my new endeavor this summer. Let me back track a bit....The family I am working for is very very wealthy. They have lots of people working for them and doing the messy work that most people don't like to do. Now at first glance this seems nice if you are on their side but I am not...I am on the "servant" side; the one that does the messy work. A strength of mine is not necessarily being "servant-like" to people, so this is very new to me. When they call my name to do something or want me at their beck and call...As a Chicagoian (insert laugh here) and someone that does not like authority....What I really want to say to their request is, "Go do it yourself," or "I don't want to do that!"

But then...

this thought entered into my mind....probably from the Lord. The idea of serving and servant started to swirl around and I decided to go to the back of my Bible and look up every verse that had to deal with those things. I was slammed hard when I read Paul's verse in 1 Corinthians. It says, "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them." Paul became a servant to ALL. Key word there is ALL. For me that means, not just serving poor people. If you know me, you know I have a heart for the underpriveledged poor people and now here I am serving rich and privledged people. But I still need to serve them just as much as I would serve anyone else. As a Christian, I want to see all people come to Christ, not just the poor. If I smile at a poor person, I need to smile at a rich person. If I say encouraging words to a poor person, I need to say encouraging words to a rich person. If I give a poor man a sandwich to eat, I need to give the rich man the same thing. I need to serve them even when I am hungry, tired, cranky, and just don't want to. I want the family I am working for to come to Christ, so I must serve them just like I would anyone else. I need to show love, kindness, and faithfulness to them and maybe even more than I normally would. Remember Jesus even said that he came not to be served but to serve. He is a great example of the reality that our own Savior and King wanted to and still wants to serve us so that we can bask in His glory and love with Him. What a beautiful thing....

So I ask you and myself....Are you serving the way that Paul talks about? Are you giving your all to everyone around you so that they may come to Christ? Are you serving instead of being served?

Jesus, make me more like you. Give me a servant's heart, hands, feet, and words. Allow me to show your love to everyone around me....my family, friends, the poor, the rich. Allow me to serve them like you would serve them, with utmost sincerity and humility. Thank you for being my Servant and making the ultimate sacrifice. Amen.