We aren’t born with a servant’s heart. When a baby is born, it’s every need must be attended to, now! So how do we create a servant’s heart? First of all let’s take a look at the scripture for today, Philippians 2:17-30.
This passage may at first seem pretty ordinary, but why would God want it in the Word, if there wasn’t something there that we needed? I was reading over Philippians this week and I was puzzled at exactly what our pastor pointed out. This passage in particular, “I am the more eager to send him, (Epaphroditus) therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious.” Philippians 2:28
I can certainly relate to feeling anxious! Many nights spent running things through my head, not being able to sleep because of the concern on my heart. I don’t do that as often as I used to , but I think as humans, we are prone to this. Notice that Paul said “less anxiuos”. This implies that the feeling is okay. It doesn’t mean that you should be anxious all the time or that you’ll be condemned if you are. It just should rule our lives!
Where should our focus be? Yes, correct, on God. But, with all the uncertainty we face in the world today, we could easily let it overwhelm our trust in God.
Just as Jesus prayed for the cup to be taken from him so that he wouldn’t have to die on the cross, we must ask for God’s will to be done in our lives.
Despite the longevity of the Corona Virus, God is still in control. I pray that it will be eradicated soon, but right now I don’t see an end in sight. Could God make that happen? Of course he could.
But are we getting the point? As our pastor has told us before, “we are closer to the end now than we’ve ever been.” Does that mean that we are in the end times? I don’t know. We could argue about semantics until the end arrives, but ultimately it doesn’t matter!
Live as if today is your last. Tomorrow is not promised. God could call any of us home TODAY! We’ve been told in the Word that he will come like a thief in the night. We won’t see him coming so we should always be prepared.
If you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and been baptized, I can’t make it any more clear. DON’T PUT IT OFF!
Okay, I’m done yelling. Epaphroditus worked himself almost to death for the sake of bringing the gospel to others so they could have the gift of forgiveness. He and Timothy are both men worthy of patterning our lives after.
Jesus didn’t give his life to save ours to be served…but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. Mark 10:45
I liked what Jon said, “being a servant of Christ is not an option. If you are not a servant of Christ, you cannot rightly call yourself a Christian.”
He’s right. That term gets thrown around so much any more that people aren’t even sure what it means any more. Many who claim to be Christians don’t conduct themselves like Christians.
So how do we cultivate a servant’s heart?
- By growing in Christ, we center our mind on the Gospel
- Submit ourselves to the will of God
- Focus on the Lord
- Submit whatever you do, whether it’s your job, or leisure time, to God
- Watch for opportunities to serve God by serving others
- Be willing for God to send you anywhere for this service (keep in mind that God knows you and what you are capable of more than anyone. He will prepare you for what he has in mind.)
- Be willing to serve anyone
- Be willing to sacrifice anything to focus on Christ (what’s more valuable in your life than the plan God has for you?)
- Be willing to put others ahead of yourself for the sake of Christ
Three ways you can tell if you’re putting others ahead of yourself
- You will have heartfelt love
- You will show genuine concern
- You can work cooperatively with others
Joy is found in the heart of a servant!
There is much more to unpack from this scripture than meets the eye. I am so glad that Jon Porter, our pastor, took the time to unpack it for us. I know he struggled with the message, but in a time as this, when the world is in chaos, it’s a message we needed to hear!
I encourage you to take the time to listen to Jon’s sermon or come visit us next week or whenever you feel it’s safe to do so. You’ll get much more out of his sermon than I can possibly include in this blog post. I always feel so blessed!
In Faith,
Pam
Where God Leads 