Lose Yourself!

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.

Mark 10:45 

 

I read the above verse on the marquis of a local church and it made me think: "How have I done in serving others?"  You see, Jesus mission statement: "The Son of Man came not to BE served, but to serve others" is hard to miss and even harder to dismiss.  

 

We have the tendency, at least I do, to focus more on what we love to do more than what needs to be done.  Not every opportunity to serve comes at the opportune time for our schedules.  There will be times when our service may require late nights, early mornings, dealing with unpleasant sights and smells, and even facing some very uncomfortable situations.  But when we look at the example of Christ, we will see how service is supposed to happen.  

 

Jesus chose prayer instead of sleep.  Jesus chose 12 unpredictable, and sometimes unruly, apostles rather than the obedient angels of Heaven.  When these unpredictable apostles feared the storm, Jesus calmed it (and them).  When there was no wine for the wedding or food for the multitude, Jesus made both.  When it was close to His time to die, Jesus took the basin and towel, and cleaned the feet of these apostles.  And when it came time to make a way for our sins to be forgiven without ritual sacrifice, Jesus served us in His death and resurrection. 

 

If we follow the example of Christ, we begin to see that service is not always convenient; not always pleasant; but always needed.

Follow!

Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.

John 12:26

 

This one will be brief, so grab some coffee and try not to doze off.

 

 I like Monty Python's "Holy Grail" movie (don't judge me!) because it's funny, yet it has some good imagery in it that I can use for these devotions.  One of the things that struck me about the movie is that the servants of the nights followed closely behind their knight everywhere they went (the coconut clopping "horse" was absolute genius). 

 

During Jesus' time, the main job of a servant was to follow the one to whom they belonged to do whatever they were told, carry whatever needed carrying, and so forth.  Wherever the master went, the servant was to follow.

 

If we claim to be Christians, we serve Jesus Christ.  And if we serve Him then we are His servants.  And as His servants, we follow Him so that we are where He is.  And God has promised to honor the servants of Christ.  Following can be difficult, but it is ultimately rewarding.