The Heart of a Servant

The word "servant" can sound intimidating, causing many to shy away from it. To them, the word servant means bondage, but for Jesus, it was the perfect platform for all redemption.

The word "servant" can sound intimidating, causing many to shy away from it. To them, the word servant means bondage, but for Jesus, it was the perfect platform for all redemption. Jesus, in His selfless act, sacrificed everything, stepped away from who He was, and became a servant to all and for all so that you and I can come to a place alongside Him being above all. Servanthood is the greatest expression of love and trust. In it comes the platform where true faith is exercised as we walk in a place of submission, fully trusting the one we serve.

In Romans 1:1, Paul states, "Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God." To be a success, Paul had to see himself as a servant of Christ. But what does it mean to be a 'bondservant '? A bondservant in the biblical context is not a slave in the traditional sense but a servant who willingly chooses to serve their master for life out of love and devotion. He had to see that the message he had was not his but the one to whom he was a bondservant. The greatest success in our lives or ministry is serving God's agenda, not our own. Servanthood places us in the position of being fully pliable to the master's hand. Doing so ensures that God's plan and message are front and center at all times and that our purpose is to ensure that we are always in step with all that God is doing. "Paul, calling himself a bondservant," declared that he is a servant for life. But what was Paul's example?

In Philippians 2:5-8 Paul writes, "Let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."

Paul saw the perfect example of pure and complete servanthood to the point of death in Christ. If His Lord was a servant all the way, could he be any different? According to Ephesians 1:5, we have been adopted as sons of God. We have been saved from wrath through the great sacrifice of Jesus. Now, until we stand face to face with Him, we serve as His mouth, hands, heart, and feet. We are now servants of the most high God.

Jesus said in John 13:13-17, "You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him."

The great strength of Jesus's ministry was His complete obedience to the will of His Father. In John 4:34, Jesus says, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me." In John 5:19, Jesus says, "Most assuredly I say to you, the son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the son does also."

Jesus came submitted entirely to the will of the Father. In this manner, everyone would see the perfect love that the Father has for humanity. By this, Jesus could genuinely tell Phillip in John 14:9, when he asked Jesus to show them the Father, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me, Phillip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father."

When we are total servants, we will fully represent all that Jesus is and has done on our behalf. We will represent the love that God has for man, and the world will see the work of the godhead flowing through us. Not only are we servants to the Lord to do all He asks, but we are also called to be servants to one another.

Romans 12:10-11 states, "Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord."

Our servanthood to each other is in an attitude of caring. Walking in one accord and unity, we serve each other for the purpose of the greater good. Psalms 133:1-2 states, "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head. Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments." The great success of our servanthood is when we stand together for the cause of Calvary. When we run together, serving each other for each one's success, we can do exploits. This unity in serving is the strength of the body of Christ.

A powerful anointing flows when we serve each other in one accord. A unified servant people become focused on a ministry's vision to bring it to completion. The message doesn't get lost when we all stand as servants. When we care about each other's success for the whole, then we help our own. When we carry the attitude that your success is my success, and my success is all our success, we can stand strong as we run the race of faith together. From the leadership on down, when we run as one accord, serving each other according to the word, then hell has no power against us. If Satan can get us into pride, distrust, or disunity, then he can take down the greatest of ministries. But when we run together serving each other, then he can't find a breech anywhere to get his hands in.

When this happens, Revelation 3:8 states, "I know your works, See I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name." No matter the size of the ministry, when God's people stand in one accord, serving each other in the fear of the Lord, then the devil has no power against us.

1 Peter 5:5-6 states, "Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, being clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time."

The success of the servant's heart is the unhindered advancement of the kingdom of God. Our walking together as servants of the Lord and to each other allows the gospel message to go forth untainted. As we walk in one accord, serving one another for the cause of Christ, the world will truly see that we are Christians by our love. In this environment, the words of Jesus in Matthew 16:18, "I will build My church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against her," will ring strong and powerful for all the world to hear and see. Let's serve Him together. For to Him belongs all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise!

Blessings,