Happy Tuesday. It’s October 4, 2022. Today I wanted to say “THANK YOU” to Carol Ann Shima, wife of my dear friend, Dan. She served for the first decade of the New Hope Movement… without pay! I remember asking if we could start paying her, and her reply was, “If you do, you’ll cheapen my ministry!” She has always been and will always remain an example of someone who serves for the joy of serving! Read on...
Today's Reading:
Esther 1,2; Psalms 150; Luke 17
Scripture
"Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'" (Luke 17:7-10)
Observation
In the world, being a server is where you start: busboy, cleaner, dishwasher, grunt, a go-for ... we're all familiar with the terms. You prove yourself there first, but then you work away from serving as quickly as you can toward the position of becoming the "One BEING Served."
We hear it taught, touted, and modeled. We are allured by it, strive for it, and applaud those who have achieved it. Anything less is seen as a failure in life and business.
On the other hand, the Bible teaches us that being a servant is not something we are to run away from; but something we graduate to and aspire to become. Matthew 23:11 says, "But the greatest among you shall be your servant."
We are to be comfortable and at home with servanthood; if not, we will set ourselves up to be offended. Without a servant's heart, we are in danger of possessing wrong aspirations that lead us to selfishness, pride, and condescending attitudes.
What this scripture in Luke is teaching us is that being a servant is a to be a joy. We are happy to do whatever the Lord asks of us, for we exist to be servants of the Most High!
Application
Servanthood would be a short-lived effort unless it becomes our DNA, identity, and joy. Should there be rewards, I will be so appreciative, but that cannot be my goal. Instead, my only goal and purpose must be to serve the King.
Paul, the apostle, said it well in Phil. 4:12: "I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need."
Prayer
I get to use every gift I have, every ability I possess, and every capability I have in service to the King. What a great reminder! Father, please help me to have the heart of a servant.
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