THOUGHTS ON THE LORD’S DAY
”Developing your full potential by serving others.”
In our quest for mature spirituality and leadership ability, we must not bypass that quality which so completely characterized the life of Jesus Christ. It is the quality of unselfish servant hood. Jesus said, “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 10:45)
The Apostle Paul added to this focus when he wrote, “Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but the interests of others as well” (Phil. 1:4). Then pointing to the Savior as our great example, he quickly added, “You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had.” He followed this exhortation with a strong reminder of the humiliation of Christ who, though being God, very God, emptied Himself by taking the form of a slave.
There is no question that if we, as Christians, are going to grow and mature into Christ-like character, we must experience progress in giving of ourselves in ministry to and for others. While we can and should find comfort and encouragement in Christ. That comfort should propel us into serving the Savior and one another.
Servant-living stands opposed to the primary concerns we see today where the focus of our culture and society is more about our own personal happiness and comfort.
This preoccupation with self today is readily seen in slogans like, Be all you can be, or Experience your full potential, and, in the subtitles of books like, The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life; The Total Woman; Joy in Sex, More Joy in Sex, and the list goes on and on.
Simply put, our modern-day society, including a great number of Christians, is focused on making satisfaction its goal, indeed, its religion. There is much more concern for self-fulfillment than for pleasing God and truly serving Him and others as seen in the life of Jesus.
Social media is on overload and aimed at directing us to more successful relationships; becoming more of a total person; realizing one’s potential; experiencing more thrills each day; whipping ourselves into shape; improving our diet; managing our money.
While many of these books and social media posts may contain biblical truth or genuine help in dealing with certain problems people face as human beings. The message, whether explicit or implicit, suggests the prime goal we should be pursuing is our own comfort and the experience of some form of self-expression rather than growth in the character and quality of the life of the Savior.
Again, while many of these things are important and have their place, it does take the focus off what is truly the heart of Christianity – knowing and loving God. And, out of that resource and relationship, living as servants in the power of the Spirit according to the example of Christ.
You will never fully develop your God-given potential until you help others develop theirs. The only question should not be, am I getting better? But, who is better off because they crossed my path this week?