How can I have a servant’s heart?

Philippians 2:5-9You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names.

We develop a servant’s heart by humbling ourselves as Jesus did and obediently doing what God wants. The more we obey, the more our hearts become like the heart of Jesus.

Romans 6:12-13Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.

By submitting ourselves to obey Jesus’ commands and live by his words, we put our hearts in a position ready for passionate and obedient action.

Genesis 24:18-20“Yes, my lord,” she answered, “have a drink.” And she quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink. When she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough to drink.” So she quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw water for all his camels.

We are to look for opportunities to help those who need us. If we wait until we feel like helping, we will rarely help anyone. The best way to change our attitude is to start helping. Then our hearts will follow.

Luke 1:38Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

The essence of servant leadership is doing what God asks us to do, no matter what it costs us.

Luke 17:7-10“When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’ And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’”

We are to develop the humble recognition that no matter what we do, we are not paying for or earning all that Jesus has already done for us. We are serving the One who also serves us.