Servants

Read: John 13:1-17

[Jesus said,] “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master.” John 13:15-16

IN WORD

We value our freedom. Nations have been founded on its virtues, and we instinctively recognize basic liberties that every human being should have. So when Scripture refers to us as servants, slaves, or any other term of subservience, it puts us on edge. We don’t want to feel trapped. We trust God, but we love our freedom. And slavery doesn’t sound very appealing.

At times, Paul called himself a servant, slave, or bond servant of Christ (Romans 1:1). He was not only referring to his circumstances as a captive in prison for Jesus’ sake, he was also expressing his deep commitment to serve his Master. A person can do that only when (1) he trusts God implicitly, without reservation, to look out for his best interests; and (2) he understands the voluntary nature of the term. The biblical ideal for servanthood is to willingly offer oneself to meet the needs of others. It’s tragic when freedoms are taken from us, but beautiful when we give them up for a cause. Paul gave them up out of his love for Jesus, and he urged his readers to do the same.

Astonishingly, even Jesus came to us in this role. He declared Himself a servant on our behalf and washed the feet of His followers. While Roman culture then and Western culture today look down on servanthood, Jesus lifted it up as the key to greatness. You want to go up in God’s Kingdom? Go down. Embrace humility. Serve God, and in serving Him, serve others. “Low” is an extremely high Kingdom value.

IN DEED

Enjoy your freedom. Even fight for it, not only for yourself but for others. But in your freedom, choose to be bound to Christ in His service. Trust Him so thoroughly that you can relinquish all your concerns and decisions to Him, defaulting to His guidance above all other inclinations. Know that the Master will use you not only for the good of the Kingdom, but also for your own good. There is absolutely nothing to fear in His service. When you abandon all to Him, you receive all from Him.

ADDITIONAL READING: Matthew 20:25-28

A servant of God has but one Master.

GEORGE MÜLLER