God’s kingdom operates differently from ours. Jesus came as a servant, providing a living, breathing example for us to follow of how we are to treat others. In God’s economy, if we want to be great, having a servant heart is key. Greatness in God’s kingdom does not come from being powerful or praised by men. We must be willing to be a servant of all. It’s a heart issue.
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I recently found myself in two vastly different scenarios, but both brought me back to a place of inspecting my own heart.
In the first situation, I traveled to surprise a friend for a big 50th birthday celebration being planned for her. Before returning home, however, I stayed on a few more days with another friend for the express purpose of rest and fellowship. She had declared before I even arrived, “I don’t want you lifting a finger. I’ll take care of anything you need.” She knew that the stress of the past year had left me exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally, and what I needed was rest in every sense of the word, and my short visit allowed for that.
In the second situation, I traveled out of state to speak at a women’s conference. After I arrived, I was shown my seat at the table up front, closest to the stage where I would speak. My host asked if she could get me anything and I declined, but then I asked, “What can I do for you? I’m here to serve you tonight.” I wasn’t there to come on stage for an hour and be on display, but to serve: to minister, to pray, to sweep floors or set tables if that’s what was necessary.
On my way home from the event, as I thought back through the evening and what I thought went well and what I would have changed, in my heart I thought, “I hope I represented you well tonight Lord. I hope I served you well.”
God’s economy is so much different from ours. According to God, if we want to be great, we must be willing to be a servant of all.
What does it mean to have a servant heart?
To answer the question, “what does it mean to have a servant heart,” we must first learn what a servant is. A servant is a person who meets the needs of others. A servant is an individual who puts themselves under submission to another. A servant is different from a slave in that a servant’s loyalty to one’s master is voluntary, but a slave’s is not. Every slave is a servant, but not every servant is a slave.
In Christianity, we are called first to submit to God, then to one another.
When I stayed with my friend, she had such a beautiful servant heart. She served selflessly, humbly. She gave of herself without expecting anything in return. She loved God and wanted to bless me with the overflow of that love. It left me wondering, how well do I serve others and what do I use as my guide?
5 Tips for Having a Servant Heart
1. Use Jesus as your model: Jesus was the greatest servant of all
Jesus came to earth as a servant with a commitment to serve. He always put others’ needs first. If He had come, instead, to be served, our salvation and sanctification could and would never have taken place.
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)
“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” (Philippians 2:6-7)
By coming as a servant, Jesus provided a living, breathing example for us to follow of how we are to treat others, and the approach we are to take in our relationships.
“So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.” (John 13:12-15)
To cultivate a servant heart, use Jesus as your role model. He was the greatest servant of all.
2. If we want to be great, we must be least
When we watch the example that Jesus was for his disciples and for us, He has really given us two choices:
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- We can choose to serve ourselves, OR
- We choose to serve others.
If we choose to serve ourselves, then we cannot be His disciples, because he taught his disciples that if they were going to follow him, they had to be willing to put themselves last.
If we choose to serve others, then we show others His love, and in that way, they will know we are His disciples.
“Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)
God’s kingdom operates differently from our earthly hierarchical structures. Greatness in God’s kingdom does not come from occupying positions of power or being praised by men. God is more interested in a servant heart and our attitude toward others.
“Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,” (Matthew 20:26)
A hindrance to being a good servant is a desire for praise, power, and recognition by others or self-exaltation.
“A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22:24-30)
We must choose to serve others and be the least of these in order to have a servant heart.
3. We show our love for God by loving others
Jesus told his disciples, and us, that if we love him, we will keep His commandments. Our obedience is an outward demonstration of our love for God.
“This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:12-13)
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23-24)
“Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.” (1 Corinthians 10:24)
When we obey God’s commandments, we exhibit a servant heart.
4. Consider Others Before Yourself
In today’s society, there has become a tendency to focus on self-fulfillment rather than making it a priority to serve God and others. This is not consistent with Scripture.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)
Modern society has made an industry out of self-fulfillment and self-help for everything from dieting to reaching one’s greatest potential. The focus of a Christian should instead be on knowing and loving God, and from that relationship, serving others according to the example Jesus provided.
Serving others according to the example we have in Jesus is a quality of having a servant heart.
5. Use your gifts in order to serve
God has given each of us certain gifts and talents that we are to use for serving others.
“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” (1 Peter 4:10)
In turn, serving others may be what God uses to touch their hearts and draw them to Him. Share the love of God by using your gifts to serve others. It’s another aspect of having a servant heart.
When you see others with a servant heart, what qualities have you seen that have drawn you to them? Are there other guiding principles for how we serve others well? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
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Beautiful words reminding us to serve one another in love. As a believer in servant leadership, your words are truly inspirational, “I hope I represented you well tonight Lord. I hope I served you well.” I plan to use these words as a reminder of who I am serving daily. Thank you for sharing!
Best,
Robin
Great tips for serving others. Our eyes and thoughts need to be on another and not our self. This is hard and does not come naturally. It is something we must develop and practice. One servant quality I am drawn to is when someone asks me a question and then really listens and shows understanding.
I love your servants heart when you went to speak. I hear horror stories about speakers. We all need to be reminded we are here to serve.
I love serving other people but where I struggle is remembering to take care of myself so I have something to offer others. Jesus was a great example of both.
Thank you for you post.
Beautiful post Dr. B, we can serve as a slave to Christ without being in bondage to sin. I pray he gives me discernment in this area as well. There are givers and takers, and sometimes we can give too much and be weary in well doing.
Beautifully written and filled with practical ways we can serve others but more importantly, to know the difference between serving ourselves and serving God. I love this quote “Every slave is a servant, but not every servant is a slave.” I also love the question you reflected on “I hope I represented you well tonight Lord. I hope I served you well.” We should all ask Him how well we represent Him and strive to do better!
Thank you for the reminders of our position…to serve others.
Stopped by from Coffee for Your Heart.
Michelle, thanks for words that push me out of the center of the universe. God is truly glorified when we model our servanthood after His Son. Blessings to you!
A beautiful reminder that we have been called here to serve one another. And as we do so, God is glorified and many are blessed. May I have a heart willing to serve God and others all of my days. Blessings to you today!
Beautiful! Great reminders of our purpose here on earth! Blessings, friend!
A wonderful reminder. It took me a few years in my Christian walk to realize the beauty and joy of serving others. Thank you for sharing!
Kelsey
acupofteawithkelsey.blogspot.com
Truth. Servant leadership. Servant Christianity. Serving others. There’s no higher calling.
A servant is a person who meets the needs of others. A servant is an individual who puts themselves under submission to another. A servant is different from a slave in that a servant’s loyalty to one’s master is voluntary, but a slave’s is not. Every slave is a servant, but not every servant is a slave.
I just read this post and this paragraph really jumped out at me!! I love what it says!!! Powerful!! And I may use it in some fashion in my teen girl’s Sunday school class.
Thank you!!!
Such good reminders — to stay servant minded!
Hi, Michelle! Read your article, loved the topic, but was concerned at some areas not addressed:
1. I believe another key guiding principle for how we serve others is: knowing the difference between self-sacrifice and self-neglect.
To everything there’s a season and a time to every purpose, including us looking after our own needs, or even allowing others the opportunity to take the initiative to demonstrate their servant’s heart by serving us voluntarily, just like your friend did for you in the first situation you mentioned. Was it wrong that your role there wasn’t specifically to serve her and not the other way around? Of course not, that was the role that God put on her heart for your benefit, and at that time, your role was to receive the benefit of her servanthood. Your heart would’ve indeed been to serve her had both your needs been reversed because that’s what friends are for. “A friend loves at all times, and a brother (or sister) is born for adversity.” When your tank is running on “E,” it’s self-neglect and a lack of humble submission to not let people serve you who would voluntarily do so.
But when there’s nobody in your life like that, you’ve gotta get away from serving others more often than most to serve yourself and recharge your own batteries so you can better serve others again, which leads to my next point:
2. The root of selfishness and a lack of self-sacrificial servanthood IS self-neglect, and the root of self-neglect is a lack of “God/self-sufficiency.”
When we trust God to meet all our needs, and trust ourselves to meet some of those needs, accordingly, we are better prepared to meet the needs of others. We know what “met needs” feel like, so we’re more sensitive to and are able to more easily identify–through conversation, observation, and proximity with others–others’ unmet needs, even needs which they are not aware of being unmet.
3. Also, there’s a difference between a need and a selfish ambition.
“Praise, power, and recognition by others,” as you mentioned in your 2nd tip, are not needs. Depending on how we came by them, by selfless servanthood or selfish ambition, they are either tools to help us be given a greater platform to serve others with and meet more needs, or a way to boost our ego and get others to serve us more. We can not only survive, but easily and powerfully continue to serve others without any of those things.
So when you say “we can choose to serve ourselves, or we can choose to serve others,” “serving ourselves,” to me, would mean serving our needs, not our selfish ambitions, but wasting time, effort, and energy on serving selfish ambitions will actually leave us feeling more empty and continuing to experience the same, or further, depth of unmet need that we’ve been experiencing prior to serving ourselves that way.
I would ask “What about ourselves are we serving, when ‘praise, power, and recognition by others’ is what we’re aiming to serve ourselves with?” And I would argue “Nothing that needs serving.” However, we do have parts of us that do need serving, and those 3 things mentioned are just a distraction and a counterfeit to us meeting those deeper needs so we can better serve the deeper needs of others.
Sorry if that was long, just reading it first thing in the morning made me want to get all this off my chest. Thank you for your post and have a blessed day/week!
Stephen
Wonderful tips, Michelle. I do want a servant heart. A humble attitude and love for others are essential for us to emulate Christ. Thank you for the beautiful post.
Michelle, thanks for this post on having the heart of a servant. It’s so easy to read or talk about, but as much as I’d like to be that person, I find myself slipping in the other direction so often. Thanks for the reminder and your great points here. Pinned. Thanks for linking up at instaEncouragements!
I loved this message Michelle!!! Over the years I have realized that I have the gift of service but at first I thought that was just doing things for other people but you have helped me see that it is putting others before ourselves and not being selfish. It involves doing but it even more first involves loving God, loving each other and whatever needs people have if possible meet those needs according to Father’s direction and purposes. Even prayer for others is serving others so as you have spoken it goes much deeper than just doing for others. Thank you for this awesome reminder and encouragement!! Love you and pray for you every day!!!
Great message!