A Servant of God
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Straight to the Cross
GUEST ARTICLE:
A Servant of God
by Steven Wright
I have always wanted to be somebody great. Not
just good, but great! I thought about being a
great baseball player - they make lots of money
and are very popular. They are on TV and you read
about them in newspapers and magazines. Everybody
likes to see and watch them. But it doesn't last
long, and people soon forget about you.
Or, I could become a politician. Everyone wants to
be your friend and you are always receiving
honors. You have a lot of power to do things for
people. And, most politicians are wealthy when
they retire. But, it seems very hard to be honest,
with everyone wanting you to "do something" for
them.
Maybe the best approach is to do like Jesus -
become great by not trying to become great. That's
it, I'll just use the talents God has given me and
be like Jesus. In Mark 10:45 we learn that "Jesus
came not to be served but to serve." If we are
going to be like Him, we must have His attitude
about service and be a servant to others. I
will be a servant! If you want to be great, I
can tell you how. Matthew 20:26 states that to be
great, you must become a servant.
After Joshua had led the children of Israel into
the promised land, he told them to "choose you
this day whom you will serve.... but as for me and
my house we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). I
think this is what Jesus would want me to do.
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus teaches many
things that will identify a servant, and He makes
a promise to all who serve. For example, "blessed
are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy." The
Good Samaritan was a servant to a stranger and
showed mercy to him. Jesus said that we should "go
and do likewise" (Luke 10:36,37).
John tells about Jesus washing the feet of his
disciples in John 13:4-17. Jesus tells us that we
should follow this example. To follow Jesus, we
should serve with gentleness, kindness and
humbleness. It is hard to be like that today when
it seems like everyone is concerned only able
himself - but Jesus expects us to be concerned for
others.
Can we as servants have any influence in the world
today? Yes. In Matthew 5, Jesus said "You are the
salt of the earth and the light of the world."
This makes it personal. Salt and light in these
verses stand for our influence on others. It is my
responsibility to see that my salt does not lose
its worth and my light is not hidden. For my
influence to be effective I need to be serving
others. Serving is not a sign of weakness but of
courage and obedience.
Our service is measured by how well we serve, not
how big the service is. In Hebrews 6:10 we see
that God will not forget our works of love. Little
things can begin a life of service - a card to an
elderly person, a phone call to the lonely, a
visit to the nursing home or just a hug to
encourage. For example, in Matthew 10:42 we learn
that if you "give just a cup of cold water you
shall not lose your reward."
If we are followers of Christ, we are "His hands".
If Christ is to help the poor, it must be by our
hands. If he is to take care of the sick, it must
be by our hands. If he is to help those who are
lonely, it must be by our hands. Do you see
anything that Christ needs to do today? Remember
the song: "Christ has no hands but our hands to do
his work today."
I want to be great at something that prepares me
for eternity. Being a great ball player or
politician counts only while I am living. Being a
great servant prepares me to meet God in heaven
and to hear him say "well done".
I intend to be like Joshua and serve the Lord.
What about you? What do you want to do with your
life?
Editor's Note: Steven Wright is a young Christian
man who is a participant in the Lads to Leaders
program in the Austinville Church of Christ in
Decatur, AL, USA. Courtesy of The Voice of Truth
International, Vol 41, Pages 77,78.
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