Servants of our Lord

Jun 21

Written By Amanda Windham

“Let this mind be in you which 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.”

— Philippians 2:5-8

Service over selfishness

The Bible contains many names for God and those who follow Him. Our Lord is called our master using the Hebrew word Adonai in the Old Testament and the Greek word kyrios in the New Testament. So it stands to reason that one of the most common yet uncomfortable words used for Christians in the New Testament should be doulos, which means servant according to Strong’s Concordance. Christ himself told the disciples that both He and His followers were here on this Earth to serve others instead of themselves (Mark 10:42-45). Even if you didn't grow up in a Christian family, you probably learned, “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them” (Matthew 7:12). This is repeated in Luke 10:27, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” Although we are used to the idea of Christian service, Jesus' example of what servanthood actually looks like in real life is even more challenging than we realize. Even though He was free from faults, Jesus didn't take pride in going around pointing out other people's mistakes to show how right He was. On the contrary, He used humble, unselfish acts of service to show the love of God to flawed and hurting human beings around Him who needed it. Jesus already knew when he washed the feet of Judas that he would betray Him, but Jesus washed them anyway without complaint. Our Savior then gives us the daunting task of cultivating that same willingness to serve and set aside our own hurt feelings and claims for justice if it furthers the spread of God's love and saving souls (John 12:12-16). In Philippians 2:5-8, we receive the command to fully follow Jesus’ example of servanthood, even if it means our death as it did His. Nothing about this attitude fits with our culture of instant gratification and self centeredness. Prioritizing the needs of others above our own desires goes against human nature. But that’s the point. We’re not in bondage to our emotions or to sin anymore once we’ve surrendered ourselves as servants to God. Through His grace and power, we’ve escaped the temporary illusion of pleasure and eternal reality of suffering caused by our former service to sin. As Christians, we have the hope of Heaven to make the more difficult road we’ve chosen in this world worth what we’ll suffer (Romans 6:4-14). Becoming a servant isn’t a one time event, however. It's a day by day, moment by moment commitment to presenting our bodies as living sacrifices to God (Romans 12:1-2). If you abandon your duties when your job gets tough, interferes with what you’d rather be doing, or makes you unpopular, everyone knows what will happen. You are fired. If an earthly boss reasonably expects total commitment to your work for a paycheck, how much more do we owe God who paid the price of Christ’s blood for us? (Colossians 3:12, 17, 23-24, Galatians 1:10)

Women hold the same obligation to servanthood as men, but we often live it out in a different way. When God made Eve in Genesis 2:18 He called her a helper comparable to man. What is more, when Adam named the first woman, he called her Eve, or life-giver (Genesis 3:20). These meaningful descriptions of the first woman clearly tell us her duty was to nurture and protect anyone or anything within her reach that was in distress. Life-giving means more than motherhood, which is only one possible part of our lives as Christian women. Our responsibility to cultivate life in a spiritual sense is an integral part of our femininity that isn't dependent on motherhood. Eve was a life-giver and helper before she was a mother when she was tending the plants and animals in the garden of Eden with her husband and giving him the love and encouragement he needed to follow God’s commands. Unfortunately, Eve betrayed her God given duty as life-giver and helper when she and Adam brought destruction, suffering, and sin into this world by eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.

As descendants of Eve, we have inherited not only the consequences of her mistakes, but the same sacred responsibility to serve God and our fellow man as life-givers. We take care of our homes and keep our families alive in a literal, physical sense, but we also offer comfort and encouragement that sustains their mental and spiritual well-being. Our ability to function as life givers hinges on our relationship with God. He is the source of everything we, our families, and this struggling world needs (James 1:17, Ephesians 3:20, 2 Peter 1:3). To follow Christ's example and avoid the same mistakes made by Eve, we must watch our tongues at all times so that we give life instead of destroy (James 1:26). Servanthood also means recognizing we’re stewards of the resources that God entrusts to us, such as time and money (Matthew 25:14-30). Finally, service means keeping a forgiving and open heart that is willing to be a helper to our neighbor. We only need to look at the parable of the good Samaritan in Matthew 22:34-40 to see that Jesus didn't excuse us from our responsibility to serve others if their circumstances, political beliefs, mistakes, social position, appearance, or other factors make them someone we don't feel comfortable with or like. If Jesus didn’t exclude Judas, the woman taken in adultery, and the little children from His lovingkindness when he was tired, suffering, and trying to live up to a monumentally important spiritual mission, then what excuses can we offer to God that He’d possibly accept for doing any less for our Lord and our fellow man?