The Purpose Driven Life, Chapter Thirty Four
Thinking Like A Servant
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Service starts in your mind. God is always more interested in why we do something than in what we do. Attitudes count more than achievements. Real servants serve God with a mindset of five attitudes,
Servants think more about others than about themselves. This is true humility: not thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less. This is what it means to "lose your life"--forgetting yourself in service to others. When we stop focusing on our own needs, we become aware of the needs around us. Unfortunately, a lot of our sevice is often self-serving. We serve to get others to like us, to be admired, or to achieve our own goals. That is manipulation, no ministry. Some people try to use service as a bargaining tool with God: "I'll do this for you, God, if you'll do something for me." Real servants don't try to use God for their purposes. They let God use them for His purposes. We can measure our servant's heart by how we respond when others treat us like servants.
Servants think like stewards, not owners. Servants remember that God owns it all. Servanthood and stewardship go together, since God expects us to be trustworthy in both. To become a real servant you are going to have to settle the issue of money in your life. Living for ministry and living for money are mutually exclusive goals. Which one will you choose? If you're a servant of God, you can't moonlight for yourself. All your time belongs to God. He insists on exclusive allegiance, not part-time faithfulness.
Money has the greatest potential to replace God in your life. More people are sidetracked from serving by materialism than by anything else. When Jesus is your Master, money serves you, but if money is your master, you become its slave. Wealth is certainly not a sin, but failing to use it for God's glory is. Servants of God are always more concerned about ministry than money.
God uses money to test your faithfulness as a servant. How you manage your money affects how much God can bless your life.
Servants think about their work, not what others are doing. They don't compare, critcize, or compete with other servants or ministries. They're too busy doing the work God has given them. Competition between God's servants is illogical for many reasons: We're all on the same team; our goal is to make God look good, not ourselves; we've been given different assignments; and we're all uniquely shaped.
Real servants don't complain of unfairness, don't have pity parties, and don't resent those not serving. They just trust God and keep serving.
It is not our job to evaluate the Master's other servants. It is also not our job to defend ourselves against criticism. Let your Master handle it.
If you serve like Jesus, you can expect to be criticized. The world, and even much of the church, does not understand what God values. Your service for Christ is never wasted regardless of what others say.
Servants base their identity in Christ. Because they remember they are loved and accepted by grace, servants don't have to prove their worth. They willingly accept jobs that insecure people would consider "beneath" them.
If you're going to be a servant, you must settle your identity in Christ. Only secure people can serve. Insecure people are always worrying about how they appear to others. They fear exposure of their weaknesses and hide beneath layers of protective pride and pretensions. The more insecure you are, the more you will want people to serve you, and the more you will need their approval.
When you base your worth and identity on your relationship to Christ, you are freed from the expectations of others, and that allows you to really serve them best.
Servants don't need to cover their walls with plaques and awards to validate their work. They don't insist on being addressed by titles, and they don't wrap themselves in robes of superiority. Servants find status symbols unnecessary, and they don't measure their worth by their achievements.
The closer you get to Jesus the less you need to promote yourself.
Servants think of ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation. They enjoy helping people, meeting needs, and doing ministry. Why do they serve with gladness? Because they love the Lord, they're grateful for his grace, they know serving is the highest use of life, and they know God has promised a reward.
Servants think more about others than about themselves. This is true humility: not thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less. This is what it means to "lose your life"--forgetting yourself in service to others. When we stop focusing on our own needs, we become aware of the needs around us. Unfortunately, a lot of our sevice is often self-serving. We serve to get others to like us, to be admired, or to achieve our own goals. That is manipulation, no ministry. Some people try to use service as a bargaining tool with God: "I'll do this for you, God, if you'll do something for me." Real servants don't try to use God for their purposes. They let God use them for His purposes. We can measure our servant's heart by how we respond when others treat us like servants.
Servants think like stewards, not owners. Servants remember that God owns it all. Servanthood and stewardship go together, since God expects us to be trustworthy in both. To become a real servant you are going to have to settle the issue of money in your life. Living for ministry and living for money are mutually exclusive goals. Which one will you choose? If you're a servant of God, you can't moonlight for yourself. All your time belongs to God. He insists on exclusive allegiance, not part-time faithfulness.
Money has the greatest potential to replace God in your life. More people are sidetracked from serving by materialism than by anything else. When Jesus is your Master, money serves you, but if money is your master, you become its slave. Wealth is certainly not a sin, but failing to use it for God's glory is. Servants of God are always more concerned about ministry than money.
God uses money to test your faithfulness as a servant. How you manage your money affects how much God can bless your life.
Servants think about their work, not what others are doing. They don't compare, critcize, or compete with other servants or ministries. They're too busy doing the work God has given them. Competition between God's servants is illogical for many reasons: We're all on the same team; our goal is to make God look good, not ourselves; we've been given different assignments; and we're all uniquely shaped.
Real servants don't complain of unfairness, don't have pity parties, and don't resent those not serving. They just trust God and keep serving.
It is not our job to evaluate the Master's other servants. It is also not our job to defend ourselves against criticism. Let your Master handle it.
If you serve like Jesus, you can expect to be criticized. The world, and even much of the church, does not understand what God values. Your service for Christ is never wasted regardless of what others say.
Servants base their identity in Christ. Because they remember they are loved and accepted by grace, servants don't have to prove their worth. They willingly accept jobs that insecure people would consider "beneath" them.
If you're going to be a servant, you must settle your identity in Christ. Only secure people can serve. Insecure people are always worrying about how they appear to others. They fear exposure of their weaknesses and hide beneath layers of protective pride and pretensions. The more insecure you are, the more you will want people to serve you, and the more you will need their approval.
When you base your worth and identity on your relationship to Christ, you are freed from the expectations of others, and that allows you to really serve them best.
Servants don't need to cover their walls with plaques and awards to validate their work. They don't insist on being addressed by titles, and they don't wrap themselves in robes of superiority. Servants find status symbols unnecessary, and they don't measure their worth by their achievements.
The closer you get to Jesus the less you need to promote yourself.
Servants think of ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation. They enjoy helping people, meeting needs, and doing ministry. Why do they serve with gladness? Because they love the Lord, they're grateful for his grace, they know serving is the highest use of life, and they know God has promised a reward.