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Sitting or serving? 

"Who is greater? He who sits at the table, or he who serves?’ Luke 22:27 NKJV 

The world reveres wealth, power, talent, and fame. And sometimes it regards service as demeaning. But Jesus used a different yardstick when He asked His disciples, "Who is greater? He who sits at the table, or he who serves?" Then He answered the question by saying, "I am among you as the One who serves." Paul said that Jesus "emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:7 GWT). 

To be a servant you must first be emptied of self-centeredness, and that calls for dying to self. As Christians we like to call ourselves servants, but how do you react when you’re treated like one? In the upper room, the disciples all looked for a prominent place to sit, but Jesus looked for a place to serve! And as they waited to be served, He took a basin and washed their dirty, calloused feet. Can you imagine how they felt? 

The world bases importance on the number of people serving you, but God is much more interested in the number of people you are serving. He honors those who minister selflessly without complaining or seeking recognition. The truth is, it takes more character to serve others than to sit around waiting to be served. 

So here’s the question: are you doing more sitting than serving these days? If so, it’s time to ask God for a selfless spirit and a servant’s heart, and start looking for opportunities to serve wherever He places you. Why? Because Jesus lived to serve and His Word to you is, "A servant is not greater than his master" (John 15:20 NKJV). 

Prayer point:

Father, sometimes it takes me a while to truly adopt Your kingdom principles because they run so counter to the values of the world I live in. But I am following You, and You came to serve. Lord, help me to follow You – not just in theory but in practice. Show me where You want me to serve, and help me to do it gladly. Amen.  

Acknowledgements: Blackaby, Henry T. & Richard Blackaby, Experiencing God Day by Day (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1998)