A HEART LIKE HIS
Sarah Sloan
Today's Scripture: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45, ESV
Theme: From the very start, Jesus showed us that His place (and ours) is humble–in a manger, then as a servant, finally on the cross.
PERSONALITY TESTS
Over the years, I have taken many personality tests in order to learn more about myself and how I am uniquely made. Maybe you have, too. Whenever I do those tests, I am never envious of the perfectionists, the high achievers, the adventurers, or the ones who are the life of the party. Instead, I always long to have the “helper” personality. Somehow people with this personality type innately long to give, serve, and spend themselves working for the good of others.
It’s not that I don’t care about others and that I don’t long for the world to be a better place, but when it comes to spending my time in the trenches of servanthood, I revolt. I can say the right words and do the right things when it is easy, but whenever too much is asked of me—too much time, too much effort, or too much humility—I typically find a way to extricate myself. I wish I wasn’t this way. I wish serving with more than words energized me, but it doesn’t. It’s hard and there is always an internal battle. I imagine I’m not the only one who struggles with being a servant. I see it in my children all the time. In them, I call it entitlement, but in essence it is the lack of having a servanthood mindset and instead, having the constant desire to be served.
BECOMING ONE OF US
Because I am so aware of this character flaw of mine, I have always been amazed by the character of God, as seen through His Son, Jesus Christ. “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8, ESV). This concept of the Incarnation, even though we are so accustomed to hearing about it every Christmas, is in all honesty so startling and in such contrast to what the human heart desires. It seriously makes no sense that Jesus would leave Heaven, the pinnacle of His realm of power and prestige, where He was surrounded by beauty and wonder, to come to a fallen world in the form a lowly human. Why would He willingly come to the world at a time before electricity, deodorant, or indoor plumbing? Why would He come during a time when things would be politically unstable in Israel? When Rome would rule over Israel, and when Rome’s leaders could decree and follow through on the killing of young children?
LOVE WINS
Years ago, I was serving in the mission field in Costa Rica. We were working with the street children and refugees from Nicaragua who had built temporary shelters in the slums. Their living situation was deplorable. The entire area smelled like sewage and trash. It was obvious that these children had not bathed in months. It was a stark contrast to us American visitors who are used to daily baths, clean drinking water, and hand sanitizing after every Target visit. And yet, we welcomed these children into our arms and hearts. I can’t lie and say it was easy. The smells alone were overwhelming. I did in fact contract lice during my time there. Even so, when these beautiful children looked up at me with faces filled with joy and a reflection of love, I knew in the depth of my soul that they were worth it. I knew they were of immeasurable value and that I was feeling just an inkling of what Jesus felt when He came for me, when He stepped into my filth, took my sin upon Himself, and said that I was worth it.
Make It Personal: If servanthood isn’t easy for you either, I challenge you this season to ask God to help you put on the mindset of Christ. For me, this means actively seeking opportunities to serve at my church, to host meals for neighbors and friends, to step up and to step in, even when it feels uncomfortable. I challenge you to pray and ask God to give you opportunities to set your self-focus aside so that you can see needs and meet them...just like Jesus did.
Pray: God, it amazes me how much You love me. That even when I was Your enemy, You came for me. You set aside power and perfection to step into a lowly body, at a lowly time, and You died a lowly death. You did all that for me, and I don’t want to take it for granted. I want to live a life that is filled with so much thankfulness that it overflows into a changed heart. Help me become like You. Change my character and give me a heart of selflessness and servanthood. In Your Name I pray. Amen.
Read: Colossians 3:12-14; Ephesians 4:22-24; Philippians 2:3-8, John 12:25-26
Weekly Memory Verse: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45, ESV