Backstory
The past few weeks at work have been rough, to say the least. Things came to a head when a request was made of me that I thought to be unfair, ridiculous and downright demeaning. I cussed, I complained and immediately made up mind that I WOULD NOT DO IT, consequences be damned.
Fast forward to Friday evening, where I was having evening vespers with a friend. The devotional reading which was from Our Daily Bread and titled ‘The Whatevers’, encouraged us to focus on the good, the praiseworthy things in every circumstances. The scripture focus was Phillipians 4:8 which said “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things”; this gave me pause as none of my actions in the week prior reflected the whatevers.
After discussing and reflecting on the verse, I backtracked and conceded that I would submit my reservations about the work request to God and would follow as he lead. I solicited the support of another friend and asked her to pray about the situation with me, which she did.
Divinely Draped
While listening to Sabbath sermon the next day, which ironically was about service to the community, the following thought was impressed upon my mind: “a true servant serves with humility regardless of what the service requires”.
“a true servant serves with humility regardless of what the service requires.”
Stop the press! I was dumbfounded because if ever there was a holy drape up, this was it! Here I was proclaiming servitude, yet grumbling and complaining when the request for service came in a package that was unappealing to me. Friends, let me tell you, I started crying because I was ASHAMED.
The Scales Fell Off
Like me, I know many of us may have been placed in situations to serve where we were hesitant because the requirement was beneath us. But as believers, on Our Father’s mission, what does service for Him look like?
In my struggle, I came to the realization that I was wrestling with pride and humility, or lack thereof. I completely missed the mark on what being a servant required/meant.
After confessing and seeking forgiveness for my willfulness, I started to explore servitude in the context of what God requires of us.
The Godly Servant
A servant, in the simplest term, is one who serves. When we hear the term, though, we often think of one beholden to or under the governance of another.
As Christians, we are servants in the kingdom of God, called to serve even at our own expense (Matthew 20:26, Matthew 23:11 Mark 10:43, Luke 22:26).
What are some other characteristics of a godly servant?
- A godly servant is humble: one definition means not thinking of yourself as better than others. In Phillipians 2:3, Paul through the aid of the Holy Spirit admonished the believers to “do nothing out of selfish ambition but rather to value others above self, in humility. In the same chapter he further went on to expound on Jesus, who though being equal with God, thought it nothing to take on a servant’s nature when he assumed human likeness. Pride and arrogance tells us that we are better than, or we are above others but in God’s kingdom all are made equal. In John 13, Jesus displayed the ultimate act of humility when He, being Master and Teacher to his disciples washed their feet in the act which today is called the Ordinance of Humiliation.
- A godly servant is selfless: Further to the point of humility, a godly servant is willing even to sacrifice their own wellbeing for the good of others. In Exodus 32:32, when faced with the prospect of the nation of Israel being wiped out by God Moses pleaded for their lives and offered up himself in their stead. Queen Esther, even with the prospect of her demise looming, was not deterred in her bid to intercede for her uncle and fellow Israelites when the death decree was issued by Haman. Esther 4:16.
- A godly servant is meek: According to Christianity.com, meekness speaks to an attitude of humility that expresses itself in the patient endurance of offense, implying mercy and self-restraint. When subject to the humiliation of being beaten, spat on and mocked Jesus did not retaliate even though he had the army of heaven at his hands. In like manner, when we are faced with injustice, our reaction or response should never be to seek revenge or to tarnish our witness for God. Rather, we trust in his Word that tells us vengeance belongs to Him and in His time he will avenge and fight for his own.
- A godly servant is obedient: obedience is not only applicable when we are in agreeance with what is being asked of us. Unless what we are asked to do contradicts the word of God or condemns our conscience, we should live and serve as though working unto God and not man. Contrary to my initial approach, when we are uncertain or placed in a difficult position, our first thought should be to seek counsel from God and then follow as He directs (Proverbs 3:5,6).
- A godly servant is dependable & trustworthy: a dependable person is one who can be relied on, a person who stays true to a vow even at personal cost. “When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said“- Numbers 30:2.
- A godly servant keeps their focus on God: in serving, it is easy to forget that we are working for God and not for men. When we are faced with injustice, mistreatment or even lack of gratitude we might be tempted to give up. Galatians 6:9 reminds us that never grow weary (or disheartened) in doing good for in due season we shall reap. When our service seems to be unbearable, we can rest assured that God will always send the strength, the motivation, the encouragement as we need it.
The Conclusion of the Matter
The characteristics of a godly servant have not been exhausted, but the conclusion of the whole matter is that when we are called to serve we should answer the call with humility and with the ever-present knowledge that our service is to God and should therefore be pleasing to Him. The godly servant, embodies the fruits of the Spirit, as quoted in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”.
Like me, if you have been struggling with a difficult demand, I encourage you to pray and commit it to the Lord. To the one who seeks in earnest and with humility, He will not deny. Believe that He will give you the answer that is best.
Pray also for a servant’s heart, so that even if the answer he gives you is not what you want to hear, you will be obedient.
Let us all endeavor to hear the words, “well done, thou good and faith servant, enter into thy eternal rest”.
Blessings.
