A Servant's Heart

A Servant's Heart
by Jan Ross

The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called "benefactors." But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater [in the world's viewpoint], he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves. (Luke 22:25-27)

This concept of service being equated with greatness seemed completely upside down to the disciples. It was a perspective that went against the grain, against common sense, against the prevailing world opinion. And it still does.

Our world today may regard servants as heroes, but generally only in isolated circumstances and situations.

If a person engages in servanthood all the time, and especially if he or she is a servant at heart in all situations to all people, that person is considered to be a wimp, a doormat, a nothing, or a nobody. Or, in some cases, such a servant is considered a living saint, but usually by people who don't remotely think sainthood is possible for all people or who believe that service is to become the way of life for all Christians.

The person who is widely admired by the masses tends to be the person who has shown himself or herself to have the most power, the most appeal, the most intelligence, the most money, and the most accomplishment - the one at the top of the scale.

God does not deal in hierarchies. He deals only in categories. A person is either saved or unsaved. A person is either following God in obedience or rebelling against God. A person is either a servant or not a servant.

A Simple Definition

Jesus gave a very simple definition of service in John 12:25 when He said: "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."

The person who loves his life is the person who is self-centered, selfish, greedy—the one who lives totally for his own benefit. This is the person who desires to be served. In the end, he will lose everything he has ever attempted to gain for himself.

The person who "hates" his life is the person who is willing to put others first—the one who gives and helps others. This is the person who is a servant. In the end, Jesus said, this is the person who will enter into eternal life.

Some people confuse "hating one's life" with having low self-esteem or with diminishing one's gifts. People who are self deprecating, always saying negative things about themselves, refusing to accept compliments, or who are down on themselves may indeed hate themselves, but this is not what Jesus meant with these words.

We are to value ourselves highly. We are to recognize that we are wonderful, unique creations of God. Each of us has been given a set of gifts and talents by God. We have been designed with a specific purpose in mind—we are God's workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). We are God's treasure, His delight, His chosen vessels, His beloved children. The fact is, God valued us so highly that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross so that we might be reconciled to God and live with Him forever. God's love alone gives our lives great value!

In recognizing our great value to God and in embracing the wonderful qualities that God has placed in us, we have a servant's spirit when we are willing to use our gifts for the benefit of others and not solely to bring applause, recognition, or reward to ourselves. We "hate ourselves," from God's standpoint, when we completely abandon our own self-advancement in order to help others in need or to fulfill whatever call of the gospel God has placed upon our lives.

What happens in a very practical way is that those who love their lives tend to hate the lives of other people. They use, abuse, and manipulate others for their own purposes. Those who "hate" their lives are those who, in comparing their own benefit with the good that is to be done for others, choose to love others more than they love their own advancement. They bless, give to, and benefit others.

This is the quality of life that Jesus lived. He didn't dislike Himself or hate the call of God on His life. He knew who He was, and He fully embraced what His heavenly Father had commanded Him to be and to do. But He didn't exalt Himself, seek His own fame and power, or attract attention to Himself. His purpose was to bring glory to the Father and to obey the Father in all things. His purpose was to serve.

Jesus taught, "To whom much is given, from him much will be required" (Luke 12:48).

The more we recognize all that we have been given by God—including God's greatest gift to us, our salvation—the more we should recognize that we are required to give much in the way of service. Those who have the greater talents are required to give the greater service.

Paul wrote to the Philippians that Jesus emptied Himself of His heavenly possessions and identity when He became a bondservant of God and took on the likeness of mankind. He "made Himself of no reputation" (Philippians 2:7). That does not mean that Jesus wasn't worthy or deserving of a good reputation—He had the ultimate reputation in that He never sinned against God or man—but that Jesus was willing to empty Himself of all He was as the Divine Supreme God and take on mortality as the ultimate example of servanthood.

As one person said, "Jesus gave Himself to death." While some people work themselves to death in order to get ahead in life, it is the person who follows Jesus' example and gives himself to death who receives the great rewards in eternity.

Three Marks of Servanthood

The person with a genuine servant's heart is a person who bears these attributes:

1. A True Servant Does Not Demand Recognition

A servant is willing to remain in the shadows or the lower galleys. The servant gives without acknowledgment; in fact, he or she is willing to give so that nobody knows who has done the giving.

Jesus had strong words to say about those who behave in certain ways in order to receive the praise of other people. He taught: "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward." (Matthew 6:1-2)

The reward received by those who seek praise from people is just that and only that—praise from people. Such praise comes and goes very quickly; the approval of people is very fickle and often fleeting. God's praise and blessing are reserved for those who serve others without any expectation of recognition or praise from people.

It is amazing how many people in the body of Christ only want to participate in various aspects of their churches if their names are listed on the committee roster, published in the bulletin, or engraved on a plaque at the church entrance. I was told recently by a person who works as the development officer for an organization that fewer and fewer projects are named in "honor" of major contributors; the prevailing practice, rather, is to include the naming of a building, hospital wing, or park as a part of the negotiating process for securing the donation in the first place. As Jesus said, those who desire public acclaim have their reward, but it is not an eternal reward granted by God.

What the Word Says

When you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly (Matthew 6:3-4).

Freely you have received, freely give (Matthew 10:8).

2. A True Servant Does Not Demand Reward

A servant gives without expecting anything in return from the person he or she has served. True servanthood is void of manipulation or a desire to control others.

The best thing that could happen to a slave or a servant in the ancient world was to have a kind, benevolent, compassionate, and generous master. A servant in such a household knew that all of his needs would be met to the greatest degree possible; such a servant had a sense of security and safety. He or she was not merely the property of the master or "lord," but was considered a valuable asset to be nurtured and rewarded.

Abraham apparently had such servants. We read in Genesis 24:2 that Abraham's oldest servant "ruled over all that he had," and Abraham entrusted him to travel a great distance by himself to find a wife for Isaac, Abraham's son. This servant was faithful to his duty. The thought of escaping to "freedom" with Abraham's ten camels and the considerable wealth entrusted to him was unthinkable.

Joseph was a favored servant in the household of the Egyptian Potiphar, who "left all that he had in Joseph's hand" (Genesis 39:6).

Our role as a bondservant of Christ Jesus is of a similar nature. Jesus Christ is our Lord. He is our Master, our Ruler, our Owner. He is the One who has redeemed our lives from death. He is the One from whom we take our daily orders and from whom we receive all that we need. He is the One who has entrusted us to conduct spiritual business in His name.

A genuine servant knows that he or she has, in Christ Jesus, all that he needs, all that is truly important, all that is desirable and of value.

When we give, we will receive. But what comes back to us will be from God's hand and at God's command. We are to expect to receive from God not because we have given, but because God is faithful in providing for His children, often through supernatural means.

Expecting God to provide for us out of His great storehouse of blessing and His heart of love is far different from demanding that God provide for us or reward us because of what we have done. Expecting from God is a mark of faith. Demanding God to act on our behalf is a mark of pride.

What the Word Says

Do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things (Luke 12:29-30).

If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High (Luke 6:33-35).

3. A True Servant Does Not Demand Self-Rights

A servant has a "yielded" spirit, both to God and to others. While a servant will stand up for what is right in God's eyes, a person with a genuine servant's heart does not insist that he have his own way. A servant "yields the right of way" to others, or as Paul wrote, "giving preference to one another" (Romans 12:10).

The hallmark of the Christian life is reflected in Ephesians 5:20-21: Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.

We are to love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind, and our neighbors as ourselves. It is out of love that we serve. In fact, service is the manifestation of love. If you love, but you do not give to a person and are not generous in your service to that person, on what grounds can you truly say that you love? Service is the evidence of genuine love. It is love in action.

What the Word Says

[Love] does not behave rudely, does not seek its own (1 Corinthians 13:5).

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another (Romans 12:10).

Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself' (Matthew 22:37-39).

A Serious Challenge

If most of us were asked, "Are you God's servant?" we would probably respond, "Yes, I am. He is my King; I am His subject. Jesus Christ is my Lord. I am His servant."

The more difficult questions to answer, however, are these: "Do you truly have a servant's heart? Are you not only willing to serve, but are you presently serving others without demanding recognition, rewards, or 'rights'?"

Many people only give lip service to servanthood. They say they are servants, want to be servants, or wish they were better servants. The truth is, we can all grow in our desire, ability, and effectiveness as servants. We must, however, actually be servants—not just talk about being servants. James said: "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does." (James 1:22-25)

The true servant is not only one who has a heart for service or a desire to be a better servant, but one who is actually engaged in serving.