Save Reflections
Keep the ones that speak to your heart.
Gary G. Hoag
“"And whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." <a...”— Matthew 20:27-28
"And whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:27-28
“We serve God by serving others. The world defines greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige, and position. If you can demand service from others, you’ve arrived. In our self-serving culture with its me-first mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept. Jesus, however, measured greatness in terms of service, not status. God determines your greatness by how many people you serve, not how many people serve you. This is so contrary to the world’s idea of greatness that we have a hard time understanding it, much less practicing it... Service starts in your mind. To be a servant requires a mental shift, a change in your attitudes... Real servants serve God with a mindset of five attitudes. Servants think more about others than about themselves. Servants focus on others, not themselves. Real servants don’t try to use God for their purposes. They let God use them for His purposes.”
Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am Here For?” (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002) 257, 265, 266.
We started this exploration learning the importance of pursuing meaning over money and richness rather than riches. Then yesterday we learned that using our ability to build wealth for ourselves is foolish.
God wants us to use our ability to build wealth to make a living and to minister with Him in the world. But what does it look like, practically speaking, to build God's kingdom instead of our own?
Today we find the answer or at least the first part of it. We serve God by serving others following the example of Jesus. Warren suggests that serving others requires a mindset change with five attitudes.
We will explore the five attitudes over the next five days.
The first one is this: Servants think more about others than about themselves. Warren adds that servants focus on others, not themselves. The operative word here is focus. Notice the focus of Jesus our role model. He served to the point of sacrifice.
He gave His life for us. He fulfilled God's purpose for Him. And He wants us to do the same thing. Regardless of our role or vocation, we can do this through selfless service to others.
And when we do this, God takes care of us like He took care of Jesus.
God, help me have this attitude and focus. By your Holy Spirit, help me follow the example of Jesus and give my life to serving others. Use me for Your purposes and Your glory. Amen.
Share this Meditation:
Your Reflection Journey
Make It Personal
Create a free account to build your own rhythm of daily reflection. Save the meditations that speak to you, explore the full archive, and join a community of fellow seekers.
Full Archive
Read every past meditation.
Conversations
Share thoughts with fellow readers.
Personalization
Tailored reflections for your journey.
Receive the Daily Meditation
Receive a daily reflection rooted in Scripture to help you rediscover the joy of generosity.
