Service

Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you 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 10:42-45

I struggle with being a servant.  It’s not that I don’t like doing for others – I really enjoy it, actually.  But, I don’t easily come up with ways to serve.  If it falls within my natural inclinations or just happens to be obvious in the normal flow of my day, I jump right in.  But, to go out of my way to be a servant…well, let’s just say that much of the time I’m oblivious and it doesn’t even cross my mind unless someone brings it to my attention.

Sometimes I wonder if that’s where the disciples were.  Sometimes I wonder if, even though they were around Jesus daily, they just didn’t see things – they didn’t have the spiritual focus they would have later when the Holy Spirit descended upon them. 

The thing is, I have the Holy Spirit dwelling within me.  But, somehow I still choke out the awareness of needs around me unless they just slap me in the face.  And that is what I am challenged to change.  The open eyes.  The sensitivity.  The awareness of needs around me.  The Lord is reminding me once again that my mind is not focused on Him on a regular basis but is instead distracted by my days.  No wonder I don’t see and meet needs around me unless they just jump in my path! 

So, I am challenged on multiple levels.  First to restore my mental sensitivity, having my mind set on Him, putting Phil 4:7 into practice.  Then to take that sensitivity and put in into practice, being a servant regularly, even when it doesn’t just fall into the normal path of my day.