“As One Who Serves”

“But Jesus called them to Himself and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 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 your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.’” — Matthew 20:25-28

When the disciples argued over which one of them was going to be greatest in the kingdom—each one putting themselves forward as the ideal candidate for the position—Jesus informed them that's not how His kingdom works. The “greatest" would be a servant and the "first" would be a slave to others. Some have forgotten that Jesus gave service as the chief qualification and job description. Today people line up to take the leadership in churches and religious communities for the wrong reasons. 

So serve. Cook, clean, wash, mow, sweep, visit, wipe, carry, babysit, drive, encourage, donate, volunteer, lend, tutor, just be there, appreciate, encourage, love. As you do, you probably shouldn't say as Jesus did, “I came to serve” — just serve. That is unless you need to directly teach someone to serve, like your children. Tell them and show them how to serve. Teaching them to serve is a good lesson. Saying, “Come on, let's go help” is a great one.