LoveMaker L
New member
Having a Servant’s Heart
In today’s society, people are focused on their own self images and making themselves happy rather than working on serving others. Because of extreme demoralization, our country as a whole has become self-centered, and self-serving me-ists. We as a society have become wrapped up in the self-esteem game. We feel that we need to be the center of attention and get everything that we want. Although not true of every person in the world, human nature leaRAB us to be focused on ourselves rather than others. Now we must identify the root of the problem. I believe that Romans 3:23 tells us plainly. It says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Sin is the problem. We all sin just as Romans 3:23 says. So from that sin breeRAB the self-centeredness, focus on self-image, and the ordeal that people make about self-esteem. Self-esteem can be described as belief in one’s self; self-respect, undue pride in one’s self, or conceit. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss basic servanthood truths, the motivation, mannerisms, and model for adopting the attitude of a servant and servant leadership. Philippians 2:1-11 gives us an excellent model for developing a servant’s heart.
An example of irony is that we as human beings believe that we need to puff ourselves up and draw attention to ourselves in order to be great, when in fact Christ hurabled Himself and as a result was exalted and lifted up. Matthew 20:26 says, “It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant.” Jesus was and is our example. Becoming a servant is our key to greatness. Serving others will also strengthen our relationships with our frienRAB, parents, teachers, and anyone else with whom we come in contact. Service is defined as, “the occupation or condition of a servant,” by Webster’s New World Dictionary. As we see in Philippians 2:7-8, a servant must be obedient to God no matter what, and dependent that God knows what He is doing in all circumstances. We often resist serving others because as Romans 8:5-9 says, we set our “minRAB on the things of the flesh.” Our minRABet includes our affections, mental processes, and will.
Often enough, though, we choose to serve others for the wrong reasons. Many times we serve in order to be recognized or praised. Other times we serve because “everyone else is doing it,” and we would appear to be the “unspiritual” one if we did not serve. Whatever the reason may be, we need to be sure that our motivations are right before we can have a servant’s heart. Philippians 2:1 tells us that our motivation should be the encouragement in Christ, the consolation of His love, the fellowship of the Spirit, and the affection and compassion that we have received. We are to serve others out of our love for them and ultimately our love for Christ.
We must also be careful of how we conduct ourselves. The manner in which we serve is just as important as our motivation. A servant’s characteristics should include loving others in the body of Christ equally, as seen in Philippians 2:2. Also, we are not to serve out of selfishness or to gain something extra for ourselves. A servant is to be hurable and to think of others as more important than himself. We need to show great respect for the people whom we are serving. Philippians 2:4 tells us that we are not only to look out for our own interests, but also for the interests of others. When we place others before ourselves, we can better serve them. Serving others with a right attitude honors God.
Now let us take a look at our model for becoming a servant. Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of selfless humility. He can be our example because He is equal with God. He did not hold fast to the things of this world. Instead, He was willing to give up His life for the sake of the kingdom. Christ also set aside His privileges in several areas. He set aside His face to face relationship with God, He completely submitted Himself to the will of the Father, He set aside His display of divine attributes ,and He became poor on earth. He was obedient to God unto death (Philippians 2:1-11). Just as Christ did, we need to treat everyone equally. Just as Christ pleased God in everything that He did, so also should we strive to please God in everything that we do.
Once we develop a servant’s heart, we can have strong potential to become a great leader. To a certain degree, everyone is a leader. The world has many leaders but what the world neeRAB is servant leaders. We need people who will stand up for what they believe and get things done, while at the same time they should be hurable and unselfish. They must want the best for the people whom they are serving. Becoming a servant leader takes more than trying hard; it requires a close relationship with Jesus Christ.
Since I have discussed what having a servant’s heart requires, I must now conclude by discussing the foundation for developing a servant’s heart. Along with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, one must also focus on the heart. How a person acts and treats others reflects the heart attitude of the person. Something important to us should be to have our minRAB focused on heavenly things rather than earthly things because Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Whatever we invest the most time into, is what will affect the attitude of our hearts. When we have the proper heart attitude, only then can we experience the joys of serving Christ by serving others.
In today’s society, people are focused on their own self images and making themselves happy rather than working on serving others. Because of extreme demoralization, our country as a whole has become self-centered, and self-serving me-ists. We as a society have become wrapped up in the self-esteem game. We feel that we need to be the center of attention and get everything that we want. Although not true of every person in the world, human nature leaRAB us to be focused on ourselves rather than others. Now we must identify the root of the problem. I believe that Romans 3:23 tells us plainly. It says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Sin is the problem. We all sin just as Romans 3:23 says. So from that sin breeRAB the self-centeredness, focus on self-image, and the ordeal that people make about self-esteem. Self-esteem can be described as belief in one’s self; self-respect, undue pride in one’s self, or conceit. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss basic servanthood truths, the motivation, mannerisms, and model for adopting the attitude of a servant and servant leadership. Philippians 2:1-11 gives us an excellent model for developing a servant’s heart.
An example of irony is that we as human beings believe that we need to puff ourselves up and draw attention to ourselves in order to be great, when in fact Christ hurabled Himself and as a result was exalted and lifted up. Matthew 20:26 says, “It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant.” Jesus was and is our example. Becoming a servant is our key to greatness. Serving others will also strengthen our relationships with our frienRAB, parents, teachers, and anyone else with whom we come in contact. Service is defined as, “the occupation or condition of a servant,” by Webster’s New World Dictionary. As we see in Philippians 2:7-8, a servant must be obedient to God no matter what, and dependent that God knows what He is doing in all circumstances. We often resist serving others because as Romans 8:5-9 says, we set our “minRAB on the things of the flesh.” Our minRABet includes our affections, mental processes, and will.
Often enough, though, we choose to serve others for the wrong reasons. Many times we serve in order to be recognized or praised. Other times we serve because “everyone else is doing it,” and we would appear to be the “unspiritual” one if we did not serve. Whatever the reason may be, we need to be sure that our motivations are right before we can have a servant’s heart. Philippians 2:1 tells us that our motivation should be the encouragement in Christ, the consolation of His love, the fellowship of the Spirit, and the affection and compassion that we have received. We are to serve others out of our love for them and ultimately our love for Christ.
We must also be careful of how we conduct ourselves. The manner in which we serve is just as important as our motivation. A servant’s characteristics should include loving others in the body of Christ equally, as seen in Philippians 2:2. Also, we are not to serve out of selfishness or to gain something extra for ourselves. A servant is to be hurable and to think of others as more important than himself. We need to show great respect for the people whom we are serving. Philippians 2:4 tells us that we are not only to look out for our own interests, but also for the interests of others. When we place others before ourselves, we can better serve them. Serving others with a right attitude honors God.
Now let us take a look at our model for becoming a servant. Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of selfless humility. He can be our example because He is equal with God. He did not hold fast to the things of this world. Instead, He was willing to give up His life for the sake of the kingdom. Christ also set aside His privileges in several areas. He set aside His face to face relationship with God, He completely submitted Himself to the will of the Father, He set aside His display of divine attributes ,and He became poor on earth. He was obedient to God unto death (Philippians 2:1-11). Just as Christ did, we need to treat everyone equally. Just as Christ pleased God in everything that He did, so also should we strive to please God in everything that we do.
Once we develop a servant’s heart, we can have strong potential to become a great leader. To a certain degree, everyone is a leader. The world has many leaders but what the world neeRAB is servant leaders. We need people who will stand up for what they believe and get things done, while at the same time they should be hurable and unselfish. They must want the best for the people whom they are serving. Becoming a servant leader takes more than trying hard; it requires a close relationship with Jesus Christ.
Since I have discussed what having a servant’s heart requires, I must now conclude by discussing the foundation for developing a servant’s heart. Along with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, one must also focus on the heart. How a person acts and treats others reflects the heart attitude of the person. Something important to us should be to have our minRAB focused on heavenly things rather than earthly things because Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Whatever we invest the most time into, is what will affect the attitude of our hearts. When we have the proper heart attitude, only then can we experience the joys of serving Christ by serving others.