SERVE
"Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. "And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. "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 10:43-45)
Hello All,
I’m back. Two weeks on a cruise ship. 4300 travelers and 1600 staff. Six thousand people on an 1100-foot, 19 story floating metropolis. It was a microcosm of any major city on the planet. The “haves” and the “have nots”, and everyone in between. The super wealthy had their fancy suites, sectioned off ‘sanctuary’ to relax and indulge with their own private butlers and specialty restaurants. From there, the classes of society were divided. At the top, under the elites, you had the entertainers who lived for applause and loved the limelight as they surrounded themselves with onlookers who took in their talents and special abilities. At the bottom, you had the crew: the cabin-cleaners, the deck scrubbers, the maintenance team, the food servers and ‘cleaner uppers” who looked after the careless indulgers, spilling and dropping stuff. In the center of the ship, you had the markets selling expensive jewelry, watches, clothing, etc. Multiple restaurants, buffets, bars, casinos, pools, entertainment zones, etc. etc. etc. A city with all its vices, attractions and pleasures. I could go on, but I’m sure most of you have experienced it already.
I could comment on all of it ad nauseum, but what struck me was the dichotomy between the indulgers and the servants. These servants from all over the world, especially India and the Philippines, worked long hours from early morning to late in the evening, catering to mainly wealthy North Americans, cleaning up their messes and wastefulness. They were all so friendly, kind and cheerful. Our room attendant was so pleasant as were the food servers. Even the guy on the walking track who was on his hands and knees scrubbing shoe marks off the deck. They were grateful, I guess, to be able to work, while travelling the world and the seven seas for months at a time, before a respite back home, only to do it over again the next year. Drunken guests and filthy rooms were no deterrent to keep them from returning to be able to support their family back home. According to the numbers, there was about one servant for every three guests. They often wore many hats doing multiple duties throughout the ship. I think the room attendants had it the worst, cleaning the rooms several times throughout the day, catering to the guests’ multiple needs. There were many hidden servants within the ship’s hull who never get seen or thanked, like the laundry staff who wash and fold thousands and thousands of towels and sheets. Within the center of the ship, hidden from the pleasure seekers, is a myriad of workers who keep the ship functioning even while guests sleep.
James and John, Jesus’ closest disciples say to Him, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask” (Mark 10:35). Imagine! Those indulgent North Americans! “Give me what I want!” That’s their response to Jesus telling them that He is going to be killed and rise again (10:33-34). They are oblivious to the greatest servant of all, “who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Phil 2:6-8). Jesus sets His disciples straight: “if you want to be great, serve, be a slave to all.” Even God stepped into this debauched, licentious world to serve it, by giving His life to redeem a wretched, sinful people for Himself. Jesus left the glory of heaven to enter this ugly, sin-filled world to serve us salvation, redemption, freedom and life. Just think of how everyday God serves His creatures, meeting their needs, filling their lungs with breath, making it rain on the just and the unjust alike. He keeps the world going despite His creation continuing to reject Him and make a mess of all that He has set before us. We use and abuse His gifts, His bountiful provision, yet He still supplies all that we need for life. What a benevolent, merciful God, who served us with His most prized possession, His one and only Son!
What does He call His chosen ones to do? To be like Him and serve the world like He does, even if they are ungrateful, indulgent wretches who don’t appreciate the benefits of living under the rule of a merciful Provider. A regenerated people, who have been rescued out of the world, filled with God Himself ought not to be a self-serving, indulgent people. The church of Jesus Christ who live to put their Master on display is characterized by sacrificial servanthood. We don’t live for people approval and applause, but rather to bring glory to our God. Do we want God’s favor and blessing, let us take the attitude of a servant. “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love” (Gal. 5:13). You can learn a lot on a cruise!
Be Blessed!
"Advancing the Kingdom of God by releasing Spirit-filled followers to serve Jesus in freedom and joy."
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