A Servant's Mindset

One thing Jesus made very clear during his earthly ministry was the importance of serving others. He told his disciples that the greatest among them would be their servant (Matthew 23:11). He told them that he came to earth not to be served but to serve others (Matthew 20:28). He demonstrated true servanthood on the night of the Last Supper by washing his disciples' feet and challenged them to do likewise (John 13:12).

Though Jesus clearly demonstrated servanthood and challenged his disciples to be servants, the fact is serving others goes completely against our human nature. Our natural tendency is to evaluate situations and filter them through our "what's in it for me" grid. Like so many other aspects of our Christian walk, we need to allow our minds to be transformed and renewed (Romans 12:2) if we are going to adopt a servant's mindset that honors our Lord.

Servants don't compare, criticize or compete with other servants or ministries because they recognize that God has gifted all of us differently and all who serve are important and needed. Servants view ministry as an opportunity to help others out of gratitude for what Jesus has done for us to secure our eternal destiny. Servants serve the Lord with gladness (Psalm 100:2). Servants reason for serving is to advance God's Kingdom and give Him the glory; not to make themselves look better than others.

Probably the biggest key to having a servant's mindset is that a servant is secure in his identity in Christ. Servants know they don't have to prove themselves because they are loved and accepted by the Father. Servants base their worth and identity on their relationship with Christ; invalidating any need to serve to build up value and self-esteem. Being freed from self-expectations, they can then devote all of their energy into serving well so that the entire body of Christ will benefit.