Yesterday, I was reading Mark 10 as a part of the Project 51 Bible study we are doing together as a church family. Verses 43 and 44 struck a cord with me. In response to James and John’s request to sit at a high place of honor in Jesus’s kingdom and the disciples fussing about it afterword, Jesus speaks these words:
Mark 10:43–45 (CSB)
But it is not so among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. 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.”
I learned the importance of being a servant early on in my ministry. In my first position in recreation ministry at my home church, I worked with a guy named Reggie Nichols. Reggie was the Director of Recreation and Activities and I was the assistant. After serving alongside him for about a year-and-a-half, he left to pursue another ministry opportunity. I had to decide if I wanted to apply for the Director’s position. Ultimately, I did feel led to take the position. As Reggie was preparing to leave and I was preparing to step into that role, I asked him if he had any advice for me. He simply said, “Pray for a servant’s heart.”
At first, Reggie’s advice seemed a little too simplistic. I guess I was expecting some long, bulleted list on everything I needed to know to be successful in that ministry position. Regardless, I began to pray immediately that God would give me a servant’s heart. I’ve come to realize Reggie’s advice was one of the wisest anyone has ever given me in ministry.
Through the years I have experienced how life-changing service can be. We are called to follow Jesus’s example and put the needs of others above our own. I have been served by great men and women of God and it has impacted my life in powerful ways. I have tried to model service as a pastor. I have seen how true service within the body of Christ can bring a church family together, bonded by the unconditional love of Christ. I have seen how service can open the door to share the gospel with someone who is lost and in need of salvation. I have literally seen and experienced the power of Christ-like service modeled in the life of believers. It is truly supernatural.
In his study Bible, Tony Evans says, “To practice servanthood among the people of God is to serve others with no strings attached to the glory of God.” The church is a family and we are called to serve each other and serve others. When we do this, we meet each other’s needs and, as a result, bring glory to God. Service is an important ingredient in our pursuit to Love God, Love People, Share Jesus, and Make Disciples!
John 13:34–35 (CSB)
34 “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
God bless you church family!
Sincerely,
Pastor Allen