Day Thirty Three

Day 33

How Real Servants Act

When you first hear the word servant, you usually think of someone that works for a master as someone in a position of service. Someone who attends to the needs of his masters needs and wishes on a daily basis, or maybe a driver or a house servant. Maybe a gardener or grounds keeper. But a Christian servant is much more than any of these. Whether you are a Pastor, a Sunday school teacher, a choir member, a church office worker, or just a pew sitter, we were all called to serve one another. First each other within the body of Christ, then those that are in the world outside of church, those we live with in the world. Our neighbors, those we meet everyday, even those we don’t know but those God brings into our paths that need a helping hand. It takes a certain mindset to put others first and yourself second. To see the needs of others and act without thinking, this doesn’t come naturally for some. It must be developed. Human beings have a natural instinct to take care of themselves first. To meet their own needs and then think of the needs of others, it is sort of how we are raised. “I’ve got mine and I will pray you get yours too” I can hear all the time in the isle ways and the lobbies of the churches I have been in all my life. This is what I mean by a servants heart must be developed. It doesn’t just come with the prayer of salvation. Rick spoke of God giving us special abilities that we can use to either bless other with or if used incorrectly used to even sin with. Or in my case, I used to try to buy the affections of others with. I tried to do for others to get attention from them. I thought that if I did for them they would just automatically return the favors and do right by me back. But not everyone was as nice as I was. So when I came upon others that were let’s say TAKERS and not GIVERS, I learned real quick what resentments were and how to let them grow and how to let my anger get the best of me as I held onto it. As a teenage I enjoy seeing the joy in the faces of the kids I worked with. Being able to be responsible for their happiness brought so much happiness to me. I enjoyed doing for others from an early age. It was something that was a part of me from the beginning. It was later that I learned to be a little more selfish as I grew up, but somewhere deep down I always had the ability to do for others that made me feel better about myself. Even the job that I did so well at was a job of service to others. Finding and place others in work daily so they could have a living was something I was very proud of and very good at. I felt bad the days I had men sitting in the office that I couldn’t get out to work, it was those faces that made me work harder and harder at my sales in the afternoons or on the phones looking for and finding more companies to use them everyday. It wasn’t the money for the owner that I was concerned about, it was the fact that they were in need of money for their families or their rent or their food that day. This was sort of my responsibility I thought. I actually felt bad when I couldn’t get all of them out to work each day. I did everything I could to make sure they would work the next day somewhere. Even though I was the man in charge, the boss of the office and they were my employees, I took it as I was serving them. I was doing them the service of looking for work for them, making sure they all had somewhere to go to work everyday to feed theirs selves and their families. They looked to me to be able to do that everyday. I was serving them not the other way around. This was why I was able to get up and be in the office every morning at five without any problems every day. When you have something you enjoy and even love to do, you don’t think about it being a burden but a joy to be doing. Only God can put this kind of love in your heart. The act of serving others no matter what it is. It is a wonderful gift to have once you have it if you don’t pray to receive it. I think God is willing to hand this one out to everyone since He calls us all to do this. Where ever we go, what ever we do everyday, there are always people to lend a hand to, whether we ask “what can I do for you?” or whether someone asks for a favor, or whether we just see a need that someone has, they are always opportunities to be of service somewhere. Volunteering is an excellent way to be of service when you find you have extra time on your hands. Your church, my church is a great place to volunteer at. They always have a place that has a need. Even keeping the Pastor’s snack closet is a need that must be met. I know, I do it all the time.

Having a servants heart is a quality of Christ that shows others what is truly in your heart. It isn’t something that has to be talked about or publicized, it is just something that can be seen by all and it let’s others know without saying anything that you are someone that has the mind and attitude that Christ is and has made a change in. If others have known you in the past and know you now, they will probably see a great difference in your personality. A difference in who you once were and who you are now, without even saying anything, your acts of service can be your unspoken testimony of the change that Christ has made in your life. This alone will bring others to you and make them ask what is different and what has changed in your life? You never use to be like this. What a compliment this will be. So Stand up for Christ, look for ways to show others who HE is in your life without even saying a word. Lend a hand, be of service to others. Do a favor without expecting anything in return.