Serve Jesus and No One Else
Some Christians say they’re a follower of Jesus. Others preferred the label of disciple. But how many would say they’re a servant of Christ?
Being a servant doesn’t sit well with most people in today’s society. They view it as a negative and something to avoid. Yet, this wasn’t the case with the early church.
Servants of Christ in the Bible
Peter identified himself as a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:1). Not only does he call himself as servant, but he lists his servitude before being an apostle.
To Peter, it seems that being a servant is more important than being an apostle.
John, another of Jesus’s closest disciples, also self identifies as being a servant of Jesus (Revelation 1:1).
James, Jesus’s brother, saw himself as a servant too. He called himself a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ (James 1:1).
Jude, another of Jesus’s brothers, likewise saw himself as a servant of Jesus Christ (Jude 1:1).
Then there is Paul. He often mentions that he’s Jesus’s servant (Romans 1:1, 1 Corinthians 4:1, Galatians 1:10, and Titus 1:1).
Paul also mentions Timothy as another servant of Jesus (Philippians 1:1).
And Paul calls Epaphras a servant of Christ (Colossians 4:12).
Peter, John, James, Jude, Paul, Timothy, and Epaphras are all servants of Jesus. Should we follow their example and be a servant of Christ too?
Jesus as a Servant
Even more importantly, we should realize that Jesus himself became a servant of the Jews—and by extension, us (Romans 15:8).
Jesus exemplifies himself as a servant when he washed his disciples’ feet (John 13:1-17).
He says that he came to serve us, to give his life to save us (Mark 10:45). Dying on behalf of someone else is a powerful example of being a servant. But dying on behalf of everyone is the ultimate example of servitude.
Servants of Jesus
Given what Jesus did to save us, we should be overwhelmed with gratitude.
Our response should be to want to serve him with our whole life. Though we will never be able to do enough to thank him for what he did for us, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.
We can do this by being a servant of Christ. But how can we be his servant?
One way is to pattern our lives after Jesus. Note that we don’t do this to earn our salvation. Instead, we do this in response to the salvation we have already received from him.
Everything we do in our lives should be in service to him. When we do things in service to ourselves, we shift our attention from him to us. May that never be.
As Jesus’s servants we should live a life that points people to him, that serves as an act of worship, and that brings glory to Father God.
We should serve Jesus and no one else.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
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