Reflection and Awe: Lent's PurposeSample

Serve Not Be Served

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. – Mark 10:45 (NIV)

As we embark together on this new week of our Lent series, let’s shift our focus to a new topic: A Servant Spirit.

If ever there was a time in history when the idea of servanthood swam stronger against the tide of culture, it is now. Our world clamors for the satisfaction of self, yet so many times in God’s Word, we are told to be counter-cultural by denying ourselves and putting other’s needs first.

The Kingdom of God seldom looks like the ways of man. On the contrary, the Kingdom of God is more of an upside-down kingdom, where the last shall be first, the meek inherit the earth, and the King of Creation comes to serve, seek, and save the lost.

As Christians, we are imitators and emulators of Jesus. The original Greek word for Christian is “Christianos,” which comes from the two Greek words ‘Christ’ and ‘tian.’ The word Christ means “anointed,” and tian means “little.” So, the word ‘Christian’ literally means “little anointed ones.” In other words, we are little Jesus’ in our spheres of influence, our workplaces, homes, schools, colleges, and neighborhoods. As reflectors of Him and His nature—we can strive to emulate Him as we shift our desire from being served to serving.

We are called to live a life of servanthood.

Forced serving is known as slavery, and that’s precisely what Jesus came to free us from! Yet servanthood is different. It’s the intentional, deliberate act of choosing another’s vision, task, or mission over one’s own. It is the laying down of our own preferences for the bigger picture.

On Mission

Jesus didn’t come to earth for a vacation. He came on a mission to serve the least and the lost, calling them back into a reconciled relationship with the Father. As ‘little anointed ones,’ we, too, have been called to this mission. He never forces us to follow Him; rather, He invites us to partner with Him on His mission. We have been made alive through Christ, and we can choose to lay down, put aside, and submit to God’s big picture.

Let’s take a moment now to pray together, asking God to help us submit to a spirit of servanthood.

Father, help me choose today to be a servant. Help me to prefer your ways over my own. Show me the times when I make it all about me, and help me today to deliberately and with intentionality lay those things at your feet. I thank You for choosing to set aside Your Majesty and lay down Your crown for my sake. Help me to be willing to do the same for you.

Amen