DAILY DEVOTIONAL FROM PASTOR WESLEY July 2, 2024
Called to Serve
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.” But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.” He said to them, “My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.” And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers. 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 20:20-28
As believers, we seldom call ourselves “servants of Christ,” but that is exactly what the Lord tells us to be. After His disciples wrangled about who was the greatest, Jesus surprised them with a call to become a servant of all.
Christ is not just our Savior but also our Lord and Master. Just as He served His Father by caring for people, so we serve God by meeting the temporal and spiritual needs of those around us.
• Service produces spiritual growth. God is continually transforming believers into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), but our self-centeredness often gets in the way. Serving others is one tool the Lord uses to free us of selfishness.
• Service achieves God’s purpose for our life. The Lord has work for each of us to accomplish in our lifetime (Ephesians 2:10). If we only take in and never give out, we will miss much of what He has planned for us.
As a child of God, you have a high calling that can be realized only by lowering yourself to the level of a servant. Look for opportunities today to serve someone, and take your place alongside Christ, who was the ultimate servant of all.
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