God’s Children are Born to Serve



Born to Serve

God’s Children are Born to Serve

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Mark 10:45 

Dear Kids,

Everywhere we go it’s natural to expect good service. If we eat out at a restaurant we hope the waiter will cater to all our needs. In the grocery store we rely on the cashiers to check us out in a timely manner. Medical staff must come running when we put in an emergency call. And Amazon had better deliver the next day to fulfill our Prime order. But life isn’t meant to be all about receiving good service. If we follow in the footsteps of Jesus then we are the ones born to serve.

The King of the Universe was Born to Serve

It is hard to imagine the God of all Creation – the king of the universe – arriving on our earth with the purpose of serving us. We would expect the red carpet rolled out and thousands put into action to attend to all the needs and comforts of One so great. But the gospel of Mark tells us that God’s Son, Jesus, did not come to this earth to be served. Instead He came to be the server and to offer His life as a ransom for many.

Servanthood is a Different Mindset

It was nearing the end of Jesus’ life on earth. He knew and understood all that was about to happen to Him in the days ahead and began to share it with those close to Him. While revealing the difficult details about what was to happen – the betrayal, the mocking, and the gruesome death – two of his disciples interrupted.

They asked, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” They proceeded to ask Jesus to grant them positions of authority in heaven. These self-focused men couldn’t seem to grasp the gravity of what Jesus was about to do. They only cared about being in a high position, at Jesus’ right or left hand, where they would have honor and receive the best service possible.

Jesus gently explained to them that only those who are far from God lord it over others. But whoever wishes to be great in His eyes must become a servant and slave of all. This mindset is so different from how most people look at life.

Followers of Jesus Were Born to Serve

I have been thinking about this principle of service above self the past few weeks. With the recent rise in the number of COVID cases and many other world struggles causing anguish and concern, it is easy to become self-focused. I am often no different than Jesus’ two disciples who were thinking of their own comfort and aspirations while ignoring the facts of the suffering at hand. But God reminds us through His word that following in His footsteps includes serving others even when it feels unsafe or inconvenient. It is not even about what we think our service should be; it’s about what He calls us to do. A servant doesn’t choose, she just obeys!

I am grateful for the many blessings we have in this country. Excellent waiters, nurses, delivery services and more provide us help and conveniences beyond compare. But as God’s children we must never consider good service from others as our God-given right. After all, Jesus Himself did not come to be served. So we who follow in His steps should do what He did. We must lay down our own lives for others. In this way we glorify God and, like our Savior, demonstrate that we also were born to serve.

Love,

   Mama

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