TO CHEW ON: "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me, and where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor." John 12:26
"Who is investing in you and who are you investing in?" asked author/speaker Joel Rosenberg in a talk I once heard him give.
Jesus talked about that kind of relationship in John 12. We call it mentoring. He was, of course the mentor, the one the disciples followed [akoloutheo: joined as His attendants, accompanied Him as disciples]. In that role they served Him [diakoneo: to be a servant, wait at table, offer food and drink, minister, attend to anything that may serve another's interests].
An explanatory article in my Bible explores this type of serving:
"What personal service has qualified a leader? In both OT and NT, authentic ministry presupposes a leader has a record of personal service to someone: servanthood is the time-tested entrance prerequisite for trustworthy ministry. Since God's Word seems to reveal such service as the basis for any advancement in leadership, we are wise to be cautious if such credentials are not found in a rising leader today" - Joseph Garlington - "Servant, Leader Traits," New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1466 (emphasis added).
Of course now, 2000 years since Jesus walked the earth, we can't up and literally follow or serve Him. But in the spirit of "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 21:40), let's enact this type of discipleship by:
1. Living alert for opportunities to serve "the least of these."
2. Making ourselves available to being discipled and to discipling others.
3. Following the biblical model of leader preparation. Notice how many leaders were first servants:
- Joshua served Moses (Exodus 24:13; Joshua 1:1).
- Elisha served Elisha (2 Kings 3:11).
- David served Saul (1 Samuel 16:21, 17:32).
- Jesus' disciples served Him.
PRAYER: Dear God, it seems with You the way up is usually the way down. Please help me to have the heart of a genuine servant, both as a mentor and as someone who is being mentored by others.
***********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Thank you. This is precious.
ReplyDelete