Responsonding To The Call Of Servanthood
For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. Galatians 5:13
This section may be a carry-over from the section on Work. When we do our work, we are serving someone. Either a boss, a co-worker, a neighbor, friend or family member. Servanthood is not a call to slavery, but a call to helping someone else in need. To serve is not to be less than someone, or some kind of slave. To serve is to fill a need, to be a part of God's plan in doing God's work.
When we work, or put into a position of helping somebody else, there is a way that the Bible says we should view such a calling. Being able to serve someone is one of the reasons that God created us in his likeness. Jesus was not sent to earth to be served, but to be a servant to man, to us, and to God. His life on earth, living among men, was to show us how to respond to the missions of others.
The more lowly your service to others, the greater you are. To be the greatest, be a servant. But those who think themselves great shall be humbled; and those who humble themselves shall be exalted. Matthew 23:11
In looking at servanthood, we need to compare God's pattern for living versus the world's view.
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28
He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds Titus 2:14
A ransom was a priced paid to free a slave. The Lord was the price paid to free us from the bondage of sin. We are either a slave to sin, or a slave to the Lord Jesus Christ. God sent His son to be the greatest servant. His mission was:
- To seek out and save the lost.
- Give His life as a ransom.
- Give life abundantly.
When we are asked to do something for someone, but it's not what we want to do at the time, if the task is honest, just, honorable, Godly, we, as followers of Christ, have no right to turn that request down. To be Christian is to be Christ like. If Jesus Christ was willing to serve us, by doing what we can not do ourselves, and that is opening the door to eternal life, what right do we have in turning down an honest request.
In serving others, there are some Biblical principles that can be followed:
- Service is not something we do for God, but something God does through us. Jesus came so the we can be the people God wants us to be, and to do the
work God want us to do.
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13
- If you use this following principle in all of your dealings, be it with employers,
teachers, or others with authority, you will do what you are asked as if
you were doing it for the Lord.
No matter who is the object of our service, it is the Lord whom we serve. Ephesians 6:5
- Serve out of your spiritual gift, not our of natural talents.
God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 1 Peter 4:10
In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Romans 12:6-8
- Realize that you cannot serve God and yourself at the same time. If you truly want to help someone, without regard to
personnel gain or recognition you'll be serving God.
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Luke 16:13
- Realize when real ministry takes place. When a Divine resource, works through a human channel, to someone in need, then God's work is being done. God, working through us, will use us to serve another in need.