A Call of Servanthood Part 2

‘Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men because you know that the Lord will honour everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.” Ephesians 6:7-8.
We are to serve others with pure hearts. During the 20 years that I spent in the mission field, I discovered that many who were ‘called’ to serve the poor and needy did so to meet some deep personal need of their own.
Richard Foster in his excellent book, ‘The Celebration of Discipline’, draws the parallel comparisons between ‘Self Righteous Service’ verses ‘True Service’. If our underlying motive and goal in serving others is some kind of self-love or self-service, then our service is, in reality, hypocritical. This kind of serving is really intended for serving selfish ends and it is usually done in the pursuit of personal significance through praise, power, or status. 1 Corinthians 10:24 reads, “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.”
As followers of Christ, we are here on earth to serve as Jesus served. In Ephesians 2:10, we are told that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”.
God has given us tools to help us serve others with pure hearts, and they are found in His Word. In Galatians 5:22-23, we find the fruit of the Spirit that will help us to serve even the most difficult of people: Love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
There are several barriers to servanthood. First and foremost, pride. Pride can keep us from serving as Jesus Christ served. Secondly, a sense of entitlement, which says, “I have worked long and hard to get where I am so you owe me!”
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are to submit to God first and then to one another. We are to seek to meet the needs of others with pure hearts. That is servanthood. Philippians 2:3 says, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself”.
A PRAYER: Father God, may your Holy Spirit always keep our motives in service in check. Convict us and remove all barriers to true Christian service from our hearts and grant that we may be enabled to serve you and others with the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Amen
Acknowledgement: Dr V E Williams; ‘Improving Your Serve’ by Charles R. Swindoll.