Being God's Servant

John 12:26, “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am,

my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”  NIV

Here Jesus lays out the reality that if you want to be about Serving Him then you must Follow Him.  They go hand in hand.  If anyone should know, it would be Jesus.  He is the consummate example of Service, Humility and Obedience as seen in Philippians 2:5-8.  Jesus humbled himself, took on the form of a servant and became obedient to God in all things till death on a cross.

We are to be as Jesus is a Servant, Humble and Obedient.  Matthew 20:27-28 describes Jesus’ intentions for coming to earth by coming to serve and give His life as a payment for humanity's debt to sin and death.

What does Being God’s Servant look like?  It may look a little different than you think initially.  Consider the picture below. 

In Henry Blackaby’s book Experiencing God, he describes his understanding of being a servant God is more like the Potter and Clay imagery found in Jeremiah 18:1-6.  Clay is to be useful by being moldable and once it is formed into a vessel then it must remain in the Potter’s hand for His use.

As Servants of God, we must allow God to mold us into whatever He desires and then remain available for the Master’s use.  Servants can do nothing on their own or in their own strength. Even Jesus knew this.  In John 5:19, He said that He could do nothing on His own and in John 15:5 He transfers that ability to do nothing on to us by stating that we can do nothing without Him. These words should mean something to you if you have been guilty of trying to do something in your strength. 

As Servants of God, we are the vessels that He creates to accomplish His desires and plans.  He molds us and we get to be available to be used by God to do great and mighty things for God.  Servants of God allow God to work and God to get all the glory.

I love the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 18:16-39.  Take some time to read how God’s People had turned from God to the worship of Baal and it took a Servant of God to challenge the false prophets to a public showdown of faith and worship.  Elijah was out numbered 850 to 1, but Elijah was created (molded) for this moment.  He was willing to let God work through him to do something amazing for His Glory.   Elijah obeyed God and God rained fire from heaven and God consumed the gallons of water and the sacrificed offering.  In the end, God did a mighty work through his Obedient Servant and there was no doubt where the power came from – GOD!

Consider how you lived out your life this week.  Were the words you spoke, the places you went, the actions you took, and the attitudes you expressed characterized as a Servant of God in Humility and Obedience?  How have you specifically Obeyed God (available to let God work through you) this week?

If you are having difficulty in finding specific ways in which you obeyed God this week, then perhaps the outflow of your life has been a result of devout service to Self, Sin or Something or Someone other than God.  If this is true, I suggest you confess and allow God to restore you to your rightful place of service to the one True Master and embrace His Honor according to John 12:26.

May the Master Potter be allowed to shape your life and use you abundantly this week for His Glory!