November 24, 2012

Make me a Servant

“Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant.” So says Jesus in Mark 10. “With humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.” That’s according to the apostle Paul in Philippians 2. There are a thousand ways this attitude of putting others first ought to show itself in our daily lives. Let me remind you of a few ways we can make it so when we gather as a church families on Sundays and Wednesdays. How can you put the rest of your church family ahead of yourself each week?

 Be on time

 Leave the front parking spaces open for the disabled and for guests

 When you see a problem (e.g. a spill on the floor or trash in the yard), take care of it yourself if possible

 Clean up behind yourself (in the auditorium, at lunch, in the bathroom)

 Refuse to listen to gossip

 Phone a member who has been sick or absent to check on them

 Send a note of encouragement or thanks to a fellow church member

 Instead of just promising to pray for someone who mentions a prayer request to you, stop and pray right then and there

 Use the church directory as a prayer list

 Don’t be first in line at the fellowship meals

 Be on the look-out for guests; introduce yourself to them; learn their names; invite them to sit with you

 Obtain a guests’ contact information, and invite them over for dinner or dessert

 Tithe

 Volunteer your time with the children’s ministries

 Perform your servant ministry role faithfully and gladly

 Send a letter of encouragement to one of your missionaries

 Support your missionaries financially

Of course, servanthood doesn’t begin or end with lists, does it? Servanthood is an attitude of the heart. It is an overflow of God’s grace which has been poured out on us in Jesus, the Beloved. Servanthood is empowered and motivated by that grace. So … if Jesus has so loved and served us, should we not love and serve one another?

No comments: