And Servant of All

“And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, ‘If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.’” (Mark 9:35 ESV)

 

What does that look like? It looks like Jesus Christ, for one, and the kind of life that he lived when he lived on this earth. He lived an unselfish life committed to ministering to the needs of others, even at the cost of being hated, rejected, persecuted, and then murdered by the people who did not like him and who wanted him removed from their sight. He did the will of God, and he shared with the people the truth which could save their souls from hell, even at the cost of being mistreated and misunderstood.

 

It means that we put the true needs of others above ourselves and above how they might treat us, in return. We don’t do what we do for the praise of humans and to get “likes,” but we do what we do to honor and to glorify the Lord and to show love and compassion and caring for the people of the world, and for our fellow Christians. Our lives are committed to serving the Lord and to doing his will, even if it means being hated, persecuted, cast aside as unwanted, rejected, and killed for the sake of the gospel.

 

And that is because it isn’t about us. It isn’t about our needs being met. It isn’t about if people will like us, or not, or if they will think that we are great, or not. It isn’t about human approval at all. It is about doing what is right and what is needed and what is necessary to meet the true needs of people and to obey the Lord and to do his will. It is about self-sacrifice and not selfish indulgence in worldly pleasures. It is thinking about the true needs of others above our own needs because we love the people of this world.

 

This is how we are to live our lives as followers of Jesus Christ in doing the will of God and in showing love both to God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and to our fellow humans. And it makes no compromises with the world or with the flesh in order that the world might like us and not think us to be odd (strange). This kind of unselfish love sticks our necks out on the line time and time again in order to show love and compassion to the people of this world, even if we are kicked to the curb and treated like dirt, in return.

 

“And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.’” (Mark 9:36-37 ESV)

 

And this isn’t just about receiving physical children, but this includes receiving the children of God who are followers of Jesus Christ. And this is about humility and love and compassion and caring for one another’s needs, and ministering God’s love and grace, even if our own needs are not being met. This is about showing love to our fellow Christians, even ones we disagree with. And showing biblical love to others includes speaking the truth in love to one another for their benefit, for their good, because we love them, and because we care more about them than how they treat us.

 

How we treat other people is how we treat Jesus Christ. And being honest with other people is how we are to treat Christ, for we are to be honest with God, too, although he knows when we aren’t being honest. But being honest has to be coupled with love and compassion, and it needs to be based on truth and righteousness, and it should not be expressions of bitterness and resentment and all that comes from selfish motives and which is intended to hurt other people. For we are to speak the truth in love to one another.

 

Basically, what this is talking about is loving people with the love of Jesus. He is our model, our example for how we are to love one another. And he told people the truth about themselves and about himself and what he requires of us in the way of thought and deed and obedience. And he ministered to their true needs in a manner in which was good for them and not to do them harm, and not to pacify them in their sins, and not to lie to them just so they will feel good about him. So love as Jesus loves us.

 

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

 

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

 

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

 

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

 

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

 

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg

 

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And Servant of All

An Original Work / January 29, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love