Living Free - May 27, 2016

Servanthood--God's Way

May 27, 2016

"Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ." - (Colossians 3:23-24 NLT)

Thought for Today

Today's scripture sums up God's kind of servanthood. Do all as if we were doing it for the Lord. Focus on pleasing God. Put Jesus first in everything. Followers of Jesus are to be different—even in leadership roles. God's view of a strong leader is very different from the world's view.

So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - (Mark 10:42-45 NLT)

Consider This . . .

Jesus came to earth to serve and calls us to serve him and others. But we can't be godly servants unless our motives are right. As we've looked at servanthood this week, have you identified any wrong motives in your life? Servanthood comes from an attitude of worship and thankfulness for who God is, what he has done, and what he is going to do.

Review the scriptures we have looked at this week and find others like them. Prayerfully consider your motives for helping others . . . and your motives for serving God. Then take some time to build the following lists:

• List ways you can become free from intimidation.
• List ways you can quit doing things out of guilt.
• List ways you can say no in order to establish healthy boundaries so you can maintain proper rest and focus in your life.
• Write a prayer on what you would like God to do in your life based on what you have learned this week.

Keep the lists. Pray over them and ask God to help you take action toward becoming his kind of servant with wise and loving motives.

Prayer . . .

Father, help me be your kind of servant with right motives. Give me the wisdom and boldness to say no to others when I need to. Help me to do all with my eyes on Jesus, honoring him in all I do. In his name . . .

 

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