A SERVANT OF GOD

By: Roy Gilbert

Everything that Jesus taught was good, but the times that He would seize the moment of opportunity to correct a falsely held opinion or popular misconception seem to have a special power to grab our attention and hold it.

On one such occasion, the Apostles were overheard by Jesus having a rather intense discussion over who would sit in the position of power when the Kingdom was established (Mk.9:33-35). Jesus knew they misunderstood the nature of the coming Kingdom and set them straight when He told them, “He who would be greatest among you must be SERVANT of all.”

This went against what was the norm in the physical world. Jesus was already trying to prepare them for the spiritual Kingdom. Jesus wants us to live as if we are already in that spiritual Kingdom because we ARE! The physical world that we live in appears permanent enough but it will one day melt away in an instant (II Pet. 3:10-14) and we will be left standing with only the spiritual reality that remains. Then we will see clearly what really mattered all along. We will see what was temporary and what is eternal in our human existence. (Mt.25:31-46) What we did or didn’t do in serving others will be the topic of discussion on that Day. Jesus wants us to understand this now and live the life of a servant toward all those that live around us.

At the conclusion of His parable about the Good Samaritan He said, “Go and do likewise.”(Lk.10:25-37) Jesus was making a point that couldn’t be missed. In His parable, being a person of high or low position was not what matters with God. If we are too busy or too important to serve someone in such obvious need then we need to change. Yes, we will still be busy with religious duties and with our chosen livelihood and our families but Jesus shows that our main focus should be on our relationships and opportunity to serve God and our fellow man.

Here are some quick points to consider:

The two great commandments that overshadow all other commandments are “Love God with all your heart, mind, and soul and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mt.22:35-40) This, too, points toward service.

When man’s relationship with God was in its purest form, God served man by providing food and a place to dwell and man dressed the garden and shared companionship with God. (Gen.1 & 2) It was a relationship based on mutual service according to each ones ability and opportunity and it was perfect.

Jesus said He came to serve and not to be served (Mk. 10:45) and He invites us to join Him in that mission. He set the standard. Although He was equal to God (Jn.1:1-18) and all things were created by Him, He came to our assistance when He gave His life on the cross. He died in our place so that we might live. He had the ability and the desire and we had the need.

There are still others that have the need for salvation and Jesus invites us to join Him in serving that need. He said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Mt. 28:18-20)