Saved to Serve

"For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you (John 13:15)."

The Master got up from the table and wrapped a towel around His waist. It was dinner time, but first it was time to teach His disciples an important lesson. He filled a pail with water, and began to go around the table washing His disciple’s feet. How shocked His disciples became! In their culture, only the lowest rungs of society performed foot washing; it was a task humiliating even for a slave. Yet here was Jesus, the Master of All, the Creator of the Universe, taking a towel and washing the feet of mere men.

Can you imagine being in that room? Can you imagine the hands that had fashioned the mountains now washing the dirt off of your feet? Can you fathom the awesome humility of Christ? Jesus told the disciples that they should act as servants for each other, that just as He had humbled Himself to wash their feet, so they should humble themselves.

The Christian life is really a paradox of the way things are run in the world. Here on earth, we consider great men to be those with money, power, and privilege. The greatest men on earth do not serve others but are served by the masses. From a Christian perspective, things are the opposite. Greatness is not defined by how many people serve you, but by the level to which you serve others. The greatest of all is the one who is servant to all (Mark 10:44). Those who are high in their pride are really the lowest in the eyes of God, and those who are low in humility are the ones whom God exalts.

That is why your goal as a Christian must be to serve and not to lord. As a Christian, you are called to be a servant! Do not set your heart on the approval of men, but instead focus on the approval of God. Spend your time helping the poor, the sick, and the needy. Put the needs and concerns of others before your own. Be willing to do the right actions even when no one is watching and you will not get credit. The King of all Heaven took upon Himself a servant’s form and died for us so that we could be saved! Let that same mind of humility and servant hood that was in Christ be in you.