Servanthood was the second word that impacted me greatly on my mission trip to Temoaya, Mexico.

Servanthood is defined as “one that serves others, especially one that performs duties for another person or home.” The Word of God has a lot to say about servanthood. The central theme of the Bible is the Servant of all, Jesus Christ.
Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

If Jesus Christ Himself is the greatest example of a servant, and I claim to be His child and give my life to Him, then servanthood—serving others—needs to be the central focus of my life. When we truly give our lives to Jesus, like we talked about last week, and know we are called and accept that call He has placed on our lives, the lordship we give to Him will be expressed through the way we serve others.

Mark 9:35 says, “Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, AND THE SERVANT OF ALL.”:

And then I Peter 4:10, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to SERVE OTHERS.”

Jesus adds in John 15:12-13, “My command is this: love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

We best demonstrate our lives being dedicated to God when we love and serve others.  True godly leadership is servanthood, and Jesus is our best example. Servanthood is not simply a word that is spoken or a lesson that is taught. It is an attitude. No one exemplifies this attitude greater than Christ. He is the one true living God. He has all the power and domain of the entire universe. Yet He humbled himself and He served God, and He served us. Living for God is giving all we are to God, and serving others.
God served us by meeting our greatest need: the substitute payment for our sins, when Jesus died on the cross. We serve Him when we share this Good News with others.
Servanthood began for me at home, in committing to sponsor a Compassion International child in Temoaya, Mexico. In giving a part of what God has given to us, and choosing to bless someone else, we are serving them in the name of Jesus. Servanthood was lived out on my mission trip when I was able to visit our little girl Jocelin and her family. Compassion International works diligently with these children, securing them a sponsor, and providing medical needs, educational needs, and spiritual needs. I was honored and humbled to walk alongside our Compassion partners and visit our little girl Jocelin and her family in their home. What happened next was not a demonstration of me serving them, but quite the opposite. I saw the sweet little face of Jocelin, that I had seen only in photos on our refrigerator before. She came running up to Jim and me, as our van pulled up as close as it could get, over the potholes, rocks and mud that led to their humble home. They greeted us with big hugs, huge smiles, and exuberant words of thanks for our visit. Her mother, her two brothers, her sister, her grandmother and her uncle all came out to greet us. Jocelin took us by the hand and led us into their meager home. We passed an open stable covered in adobe and filled with flies, that held the one cow that provided milk for the family. To our immediate right was a small adobe dwelling that had a narrow, low doorway covered by a blanket. The mom pulled the blanket aside and asked Jim and me to come in and sit down. We ducked our heads and walked into a room no bigger than the size of our bathroom. In it was their stove, a couch, a table and a cabinet that held their dishes. There was another small door that led to a small bedroom, where the whole family of five slept. They served us cold water bottles, and beautiful fruit they had put in the middle of the table, in a bowl just for us. They shared greetings, thanks, and love over and over through their words, smiles, and nods of their heads. As I looked up, I noticed the ceiling was covered with a piece of blue plastic. This apparently covered their adobe roof. A small wire hung in the center that lit the entire room dimly. We were being served and treated like honored guests by people who basically had nothing materially to give. Yet they gave everything to us they had. I was witnessing Christlike servanthood at its best.

My heart was filled to the brim with emotion that overwhelmed my spirit, and sent tears streaming down my face. I whispered quietly to God, “These people are giving me more than I could ever give back to them. How can I thank them? How can I serve them, God?” And He silently whispered to me, “You can share the only thing that has true worth, value and meaning. You can share me.”

2 Corinthians 4:5, “For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as HIS SERVANTS FOR JESUS’ SAKE.”

In order to truly serve God, I have to get myself completely out of the way. As that sweet Mama kept thanking and blessing us over and over, as tears streamed down her face, we looked right back at her and shared Jesus. What more did we have to offer, but prayer and the love of Jesus? So we held hands together in that humble home, and prayed that they would all know Jesus, love Him, and serve Him as their Lord and Savior.
We traveled to two more homes that day, and visited with other sponsored children and their families. Each time we were served with the best they had to give: hot homemade tortillas, right in front of us; guacamole, salsa and beverages.

While I feel unworthy, we traveled a long way to be able to visit Jocelin and her family, in their own home. Jesus calls us to go and meet them right where they live, right where they are at, socially and spiritually. Isn’t that what Jesus did for us?

“Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being found in human likeness…” Philippians 2:6-7

TRUTH BOMB

Living for God is imitating Him and serving others.

If we are going to be like Jesus, then we are called to SERVANTHOOD. If we are going to walk like Christ every day, then we need to be serving others. Who is it that God is calling you to serve. It may that God is calling you to sponsor a child, with Compassion International. It may mean to meet a need in your local church. It may mean to meet a need of your neighbor. This week, will you pray and ask God who He is leading you to serve, and follow Him in that way? We can all serve someone. We can all make a difference for Jesus, and shine His light to those around us.

Speak Truth Love