Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a checklist for each given day? Then you could just know exactly what God wanted you to do and have it laid out, from the moment that you wake to the moment you go to sleep. As nice as that sounds, the Bible tells me I have something even better: I have the mind of Christ. (2 Corinthians 2:16). And this is what I need more than a checklist, because I could do the right things with the wrong heart and miss the boat entirely. So this is really a great offer – the offer to think God’s thoughts after Him. And God’s thoughts are always bent in the servanthood direction. “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” Matthew 20:28
A servant mindset means I’m not surprised when I’m treated like a servant, either by God or by others. I expect to be given hard jobs, to work long hours, to not be the most comfortable person in the room.
A servant mindset means that I know I’m not here just to look pretty. I’m created for work, to be emptied and poured out, to be used up, and wrung out, and worn thin.
A servant mindset means that I’m a small part of a big team, working to build something that is bigger than me, more important than me. I’m not the star in my own show, I’m a tiny piece of God’s eternal work of reconciliation between God and man.
A servant mindset means I discipline my time to accomplish things for my Master. I can’t fritter away time or get distracted when I’ve been given a job to do. Servants have to figure out how to order their time wisely to get the jobs done that their masters require, and I have to steward my time and energy to completing the work my Master has given me to do.
But having a servant mindset also means that I can’t doggedly pursue my own goals without interruptions. A servant has a sensitivity to the spontaneous needs of others, that surpasses what may already be on their to-do lists.
A servant mindset means that I am OK with being unknown. Jesus “made Himself of no reputation.” (Philippians 2:7 KJV) Jesus’ servants want HIM more than the reputation of serving Him well.
A servant mindset means that I must lay down my perceived sense of rights, rights to financial security, rights to “peace and quiet,” rights to eight hours of sleep a night.
A servant mindset means that there is no task that is below me. If Jesus descended from the heights of heaven to the cross, I’m never going to descend in service more than He already did. I can’t out serve Him, I can’t go lower for Him than He did for me.
A servant mindset means that I’m willing to ask, “how can I go lower still?”
A servant mindset means that I know that I never serve alone. No matter how rural and isolated your place of service is, you will never for one moment, in a lifetime of ministry, serve alone. The same God who bent over his disciples with a basin and towel to wash feet is with you here and now. Maybe your service hasn’t left you with a full heart, maybe you are sad, maybe you are even angry. Let Him wash your feet, and then beg Him like Peter to wash all of you until you are thinking God’s thoughts after Him. He’s ready to serve you.
Taking It Further: In what ways do I not have a servant mindset? How does serving with the knowledge that Jesus serves me change my outlook on my current ministry hardships?
