Jesus said, "...on the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave, 28) just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life - a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:26-28, HCSB).
A ministry friend, who is the head of a church planting group in Seattle, Washington, has a practice of stopping to pick up trash as he walks to an appointment or from his car to a restaurant. Why? It is a reminder to him that he is a servant and must never become too full of himself.
Celebration Baptist Church has the reputation of being a church that serves. One teacher at Westbrook Elementary asked why that was the case. My reply, "It's in our spiritual DNA. Jesus did it, so should we!"
But, it is often hard to be a servant. Why? 1) Serving takes effort. Most people are too lazy to serve. 2) Serving takes humility. Most people are too proud to serve. 3) Serving is sometimes messy. Many people don't want to get their hands dirty. 4) Servants don't usually get noticed or praised. People are too self-centered to serve. 5) Serving is not always fun. Most people are to pleasure oriented to serve.
But understand, there is no greater joy than that which comes from serving another person or group and seeing a life changed. There is not greater satisfaction than knowing you are serving like Jesus. Why? When we serve, we are the hands and feet of Jesus to others. Maybe they will ask "Why?" Your answer? JESUS.
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