Whenever some of us hear the word servant, we cringe. We think of the darkness of our country when others thought it was ok to enslave another race of people because of their color. Miriam Webster's definition of servant is: one who performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer. The root word of servant is "serv," from Latin where it has the meaning "slave." (wordreference.com) See? It can make you uncomfortable having servant as your title, especially since we know the meaning. Many would probably say "I'm no ones servant!" Now that I know the truth, I can no longer agree with that declaration. The truth is we, as believers, must change our perspective.
The more we pray, study God's Word, and spend time in His presence, the more we learn the Truth from His Holy Spirit. We learn to follow Jesus' example. God has a plan and purpose for every believer; that we be conformed to the image of His Son. (Ephesians 2:10) In order to be like Christ, we must study His Word and put it to practice. Through His Holy Spirit, we have the power to do what He did. (Colossians 3:1-25)
What does Jesus say about being a Servant?
But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 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 20:25-28)
Jesus served God with complete obedience. To be a servant for Christ means you voluntarily set aside your desires in order to love, serve and obey the will of God in Christ. You realize who you are in Him. As servants we know Jesus bought us with a price. (1 Corinthians 6:20)
A true servant of Christ knows He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. A servant seeks Jesus' will in all things.
In our ever changing world, most of us have been conditioned to go higher. Higher in education; higher in rank and position on the corporate ladder; relationships; academics; earnings; material possessions; and the list keeps going. Jesus, wants our minds to shift away from our world view and be more focused on His Kingdom and His will for us.
(Romans 12:2; Matthew 6:33)
All Christians are Servants
Jude, Jesus' half-brother, doesn't capitalize on his relationship to Jesus, instead he identifies himself as a servant of Christ. (Jude 1:1)
Paul called himself and Timothy slaves of Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:1; 1 Timothy 4:6)
All of Jesus' disciples were servants. It should be our primary focus as believers to serve and obey Him. Once we know the truth, we too, will renew our minds. Instead of following the world, we will identify as Christ 's servants with great pride.
Be Blessed; Pray, study and apply His Word daily,
Sis. Michelle
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