the call to servanthood

7/28/2019 The Call to Servanthood

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Marion Mill, in many ways, lived a fairy tale life. She was born in a royal palace in Hungary. Her first spoon was solid gold. She was

sent to the best schools. For college she was sent to the most prestigious school in Vienna. There she met and fell in love with ayoung medical student named Otto, and the fairy tale life continued. Otto and Marion married and migrated to the United States to

live in Hollywood, where Marion would pursue her dream of being an actress. While in Hollywood, Otto became so interested in

movies that he gave up his medical practice and eventually became a director of movies. He became more widely known than his

wife, actually--he was the famous director Otto Preminger.

Marion became famous in her own way, though. Her beauty, wit and charm made her a famous international hostess in their homes

in New York, in Hollywood and in several family homes in Europe. But Marion, it turned out, couldn't handle the fast life of

Hollywood. She began to drink and take drugs. She had numerous affairs. Eventually her life and lifestyle became so sordid, even

by Hollywood standards, that Otto divorced her. Marion then went into a depression that led to her attempting suicide three

different times.

In a final attempt to get her life together, she moved back to Vienna. There, at a party, she met another well-known medical

doctor, a man named Albert Schweitzer. Schweitzer was home on leave from his hospital work in Lambarene, Africa. Marion was so

fascinated by this man who gave up a potential for great honor and fortune to work in an obscure African village that she asked to

meet with him. Over the next six months they met regularly as Schweitzer shared about his desire to make a lasting difference withhis life. When it was time for Schweitzer to go back to Africa, Marion begged him to let her go with him. To everyone's surprise,

Schweitzer agreed. Marion, the princess born in a palace went to a little village in Africa and spent the rest of her life emptying bed

pans and tearing up sheets to make bandages for the putrid sores on the poverty-stricken African nationals.

Marion wrote an autobiography that she titled,All I Want is Everything. When she died Time magazine quoted these words from

that book: "Albert Schweitzer says there are two kinds of people. There are the helpers, and the non-helpers. I thank God that He

allowed me to become a helper, and in helping, I found everything."

There are two kinds of people: helpers and non-helpers. When we read this passage we find that God has purposed that His

followers are the helpers. In the words of the Bible, you are called and commanded to be a servant. In fact, God created you in

such a way that you will not find ultimate fulfillment until you are serving others. I remember reading the magazine Psychology

Todayseveral years ago. The theme of that month's publication was the powerful impact that serving has on our mental and

emotional health. Those who helped, volunteering in nursing homes, in poor areas of the city, or in churches, were found to be

happier and healthier in emotional and physical ways than those who did not. God created you in such a way that you need to serve

people in order to really experience happiness.

So God designed us to serve. Yet we, like the disciples, have a difficult time getting the message that this is God's call for our lives.

Jesus took the time, as this passage makes clear, to school the disciples on servanthood. Let's go to school with them and learn

some things that we are going to have to be aware of if you are going to fulfill this part of God's purpose for your life.

Matthew 24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

We are called to be servants, are we not? Well, what does a servant do? He (or she) carries out the will of hismaster. A servant doesn't tell his master what to do he performs whatever tasks the master requests ofhim. A servant doesn't choose what days or times it's most convenient to serve his master. A servant'sfunction is simply to follow and obey his masters instructions. A servant does not develop a vision for themaster either. The master is the one with the vision and he wants his servants to be ready and available

to carry out that vision and bring it to fruition.

How can we experience fulfillment in our lives? Simply by serving our Master our Heavenly Father. Theworld encourages us to seek counterfeit fulfillment power success prosperity. The more of these thingswe gain, the more our flesh wants more. It is our sinful human nature. We will never find true fulfillmentwhen we seek these things.

We must become servants if we want to experience true fulfillment. We need to become lowly, meek andhumble. As God's servants we should have no other agenda, except to do His will. When we become faithful


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to do His will, then He will fulfill the aspirations He desires for us in our lives and even those things wedesire!

As God's faithful servant we share in His success, we have direct access to His power and wealth and areable to walk in His authority! Lets get our hearts in servant mode and watch how God brings about all thethings we need and want.

Pay It Forwardis a movie about a 12-year-olds plan to make a difference in the world. Motivated by a

teacher at his school, Trevor invites a homeless man to sleep in his garage. Unaware of this arrangement,

his mother awakens one evening to find the man working on her truck. Holding him at gunpoint, she asks

him to explain himself. He shows her that he has successfully repaired her truck and tells her about Trevors

kindness. He says, Im just paying it forward.

I think this is what Jesus had in mind in one of His last conversations with His disciples. He wanted to show

them the full extent of His love. So before their last meal together, He took off His outer garment, wrapped

a towel around His waist, and began to wash His disciples feet. This was shocking because only slaves

washed feet. It was an act of servanthood and a symbol that pointed to Jesus sacrifice, passion, and

humiliation on the cross. His request to His disciples was: If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed

your feet, you also ought to wash one anothers feet (John 13:14). They were to pay it forward.

Imagine how different our world would look if we gave the kind of love to others that God has given us

through Jesus.

Christs example teaches us

That we should follow Him each day,

Meeting one anothers needs,

Though humble service be the way. Hess

To know love, open your heart to Jesus. To show love, open your heart to others.

In a sermon early in 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. quoted Jesus words from Mark 10 about servanthood.

Then he said, Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You dont have to have a college

degree to serve. You dont have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You dont have to know

about Plato and Aristotle to serve. . . . You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.

When Jesus disciples quarreled about who would get the places of honor in heaven, He told them:

Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first

shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a

ransom for many (Mark 10:43-45).

I wonder about us. Is that our understanding of greatness? Are we gladly serving, doing tasks that may be

unnoticed? Is the purpose of our serving to please our Lord, rather than to gain the applause of people? If

we are willing to be a servant, we can achieve true greatness.

No service in itself is small,

None great, though earth it fill;

But that is small that seeks its own,And great that does God's will. Anon.

Little things done in Christ's name are great things.

Be A Servant to All

Matthew 23:11-12 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exaltshimself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.


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If you were to visit Paris, you could see the statues of two men, both named Louis.

The first is of Louis XIV, France's absolute monarch. He represents one of the supreme achievements ofgreatness through power. His philosophy of life was that the whole nation and the world, should serve him.

A few blocks away is another statue. There is no uniform on this figure carved in stone, no badge of office, nosword, no crown. It is a memorial to Louis Pasteur, a man whose life was unselfishly devoted to the research

of immunization and disease prevention.

The statue of the monarch, Louis XIV, is nothing more than a piece of sculpturewho even remembers whathe did? But the statue of Louis Pasteur has become a place where pilgrims throughout all the world paygrateful homage for his great work; and every time we drink a glass of milk, we remember his name. Thatmilk we're drinking has more than likely gone through a process called pasteurization, named after Pasteur'sresearch.

It is the uncrowned servant of mankind who wears the real crown of men's love and honor.

Let's ask the Lord to help us become more humble and available to serve to both Him and others. It is thenthat we will wear the true crown of glory!

by George Whitten, Editor ofWorthy Devotions

Develop Godly Ambition

Jeremiah 45:5 And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bringevil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all placeswhither thou goest.

J. Oswald Sanders, a Godly man and former director of Overseas Missionary Fellowship, once wrote about aposition he desired. As he contemplated lobbying for the position, at one point, while walking through thecity of Auckland, New Zealand, a verse of Scripture came to his mind, "Seekest thou great things for thyself?Seek them not!"

Sanders later said, "The words came just as though it was God speaking. There were crowds all around me,

and no one else heard the voice, but I heard it all right!" He went on to say, "I believe that was a real turningpoint in my service to the Lord." As a result, he never sought the position, but later it was opened for him, inGod's timing.

The world's standards of greatness money, success, power and fame mean nothing to God. If we trulyaspire to greatness, we will learn from Jesus' example. He didn't exemplify His greatness by conquest or byriches or worldly success but rather by humility, gentleness and servanthood.

If we truly want to be great in God's kingdom, we will decide to transform worldly "ambition" into "Godlyambition". We will not seek honor, but humility. We won't desire power to rule, but to become the greatestservant. Beyond everything, we will long to be great in His loveand through His love, influence andtransform the world around us. These are "ambitions" worthy of our Lord and Savior, who, because of Hisgreat love and humility, was exalted above every other name, and also promised that He will humble theexaltedand, exalt the humble.

by George Whitten, Editor ofWorthy Devotions

The Mark of a True Servant

Read the Scripture:2 Corinthians 12:14-13:4

After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. So I will very gladlyspend for you everything I have and expend myself as well (2 Corinthians 12:14b-15a).
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But notice what Paul's attitude is. He says, I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myselfas well. If I love you more, will you love me less? That is, these Corinthians were not responding with love. Thenormal response of children to their parents' care is to love them. But even if the Corinthians do not, Paulsays, I am still going to pour out everything for you. And he indicates that his love is an unqualified form of love.I remember years ago reading a story of a mother who went down to breakfast one morning and found a billfrom her son lying beside her plate. He had written it out for her:

Mowing the lawn P80.00

Drying the dishes P40.00

Raking leaves P120.00

Cleaning garage $4.00

Total owed P240.00

His mother did not say anything but went about her work. When the boy came home from school for lunch thatday, he found a bill lying beside his plate. It said:

Ironing clothes nothing

Mending socks nothing

Cooking meals nothing

Bandaging cuts nothing

Baking cookies nothing

Love, Mother

That is the apostle's attitude. He does not expect anything in return. It would be nice if his efforts werereciprocated, but even if they are not, that is not going to stop him. That kind of selfless, unqualified love is themark of a true servant of Christ. You can use it to test the claims of many voices today to determine whetherthey are the servants of Christ, because it is the invariable mark of those who genuinely love that they lovewithout demanding something in return.

Lord, teach me to serve others without expectation of what I will get in return.

the call to servanthood

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