II Timothy 2:24 - And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach patient.
My wife and I have a monogramed towel that was given to us upon our ordination into the ministry. It contains our names, the date of the service, and the word Ordination. It is a beautiful towel and will hopefully be a treasure to remind us of that special night for many years to come. However, it is not just a beautiful keepsake. The bishop performing our service told us that the towel had been chosen to remind us of one thing: we are servants.
The word servant is not a word we like to use in our society. It goes against the grain to think of truly having to serve someone else. In fact, the United States was founded upon the principle that all men are created equal. Though it took many years for that privilege to be extended to everyone, today all of us have civil rights. For this I am truly thankful.
The Apostle Paul started several of his New Testament letters by introducing himself as a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ or a servant of God. Few of us today would be comfortable being called a servant to anyone. Yet all of us truly are called to be servants of God. And as his servants, we are called on to serve our fellow man as well. Like any service, it is not always pleasant. What servant likes to wash his masters feet? Yet there is a joy found in service that can be found nowhere else. The knowledge that we have made life better for someone else is worth more than all the money in the world.
I think the reason we don't like to think of ourselves as servants is because the word service is often taken as a synonym for weakness. This is not true. To be a servant does not mean one has to allow himself to be walked on. Jesus Christ was our perfect example and we see him showing great strength.Once he even braided a whip and drove the money changers from the temple. This does not speak to me of weakness or someone who could be easily manipulated.
I like to think of the spirit of a servant like this: it is when we have yielded the strength that we know we have to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We are meek when he says to be meek and we are fierce when he says to be fierce. Sure there are times to stand up for our rights. There are times we must be bold and protect ourselves and fight for what is ours.
But a fighting spirit must not be our way of life. We should do everything possible to life a peaceful life. Paul's motto was "if it be possible, live at peace with all men." Some people just make it impossible to live at peace with the. But they are the exception. As a servant of Jesus Christ I must be fully yielded to him. If he calls me to fight, I will fight. But nine times out of ten he will call me to serve. I must be willing to serve with the same passion I would fight with.
Jesus told a parable about a servant that came in from working in the field and served his master's dinner before eating himself. He then said that the servant shouldn't be thanked but had done what was right because he was a servant. Lord, help me to remember that I am your servant. You bought me with the price of your blood on Calvary. I belong to you. When you call me to a task, it is my duty to obey. Help me to obey with a heart of love and not with a spirit of ingratitude. I truly want to be your servant. If this means I must serve my fellow man, so be it.
God Bless,
Sullivan Jones
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