Jesus’ Call To Serve (1 of 3)
Why did Jesus choose to serve others? Jesus’ service demonstrated His love for the Father and humanity. He came to serve, not to be served, and His actions reflect His self-giving nature. (God is love)
Imagine a world where Jesus refused to serve the Father, help those in need, or sacrifice Himself on the cross. Such a thought is both difficult and scary to imagine. Jesus’ life modeled loving service to the Father. His final years exemplified the extent of His love for the Father and each of us.
The Son of God, our Creator, Savior, and Lord, Jesus willingly took on the servant role. He served God by welcoming outcasts, healing the sick, patiently teaching, washing His disciples’ feet, enduring man’s abuse, and bearing our sins on the cross to accomplish what we could not do for ourselves.
Mark 10:45 encapsulates Jesus’ purpose: “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.” Jesus’ service was not a sign of inferiority but a display of strength and love.
If you wish to be like Jesus, serve. If you wish to be great in the kingdom to come, serve. Jesus showed that serving others is real greatness to our Father in heaven.
If you wish to be like Jesus, serve. If you wish to be great in the kingdom to come, serve.
When Jesus overheard His disciples discussing who would be the greatest in the kingdom, He didn’t berate them. “Don’t try to be great.” Rather, He told them what greatness looks like. He told them how to be great and that how we live today affects our greatness in the kingdom,
Matthew 20:26 … “Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.”
He told them what greatness looks like. He told them how to be great and how we live today affects our greatness in the kingdom.
Jesus challenges us to shift our focus from expecting others to serve us to embracing the opportunity to serve others.
It is common to get caught up in thoughts like, “I did more than you” or “Nobody else helps.” However, Jesus came to serve and invited us to see the goodness in serving and follow His lead.
John 12:26 reiterates Jesus’ invitation: “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” By first loving and following Jesus, we desire to serve Him. This keeps us close to Him and receives the Father’s special honor at the judgment seat of Christ: “If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor Him.” That’s an incredible promise. (2 Corinthians 5:10).
Jesus further emphasized the value of serving when he declared, “YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.”
True greatness in the kingdom of God is found in embracing the opportunity to serve, just as Jesus did. In the next blog of this series, we will explore how love is the secret sauce that fulfills our service to others.