What Does It Mean to Follow Jesus?Sýnishorn

Serving Like Jesus Served

If anyone deserves to be served, it’s Jesus. But while Jesus spent time with people on earth, He never came off as arrogant, demanding, or degrading. Instead, Jesus was pretty straightforward about His role as a servant of all. He said He did not come “to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

In one famous scene, Jesus knelt down and washed His followers’ feet. Foot washing was a common practice in Jesus’ day reserved for the lowest-level servants.

Just in case His followers didn’t understand what He was saying, Jesus plainly told us that He was asking us to follow His example as servants.

“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” John 13:15-17 NIV

Here’s another simple rule Jesus gave us for how to serve others.

“Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.” Matthew 7:12 MSG

Service isn’t complicated. It’s simply using your God-given gifts to make a difference in the world around you.

Here are five ideas for serving others like Jesus:

1. Serve your family and friends by learning what causes them to feel cared for. Then take the initiative to do it for them!
2. Serve in a local church and find new friends.
3. Serve a group of friends by leading them to gather regularly and focus on growing with Jesus.
4. Find a way to serve in your neighborhood or community.
5. Serve people who are incarcerated.

How can you practically follow Jesus? By serving others. Serving doesn’t always mean making massive sacrifices. Sometimes, it’s as simple as sending a kind text message. So don’t overthink it!

Serving has a way of energizing our faith. If you’ve ever felt spiritually apathetic or like faith in God is boring, choosing to serve might be exactly what you need. For more on how serving energizes our faith, check out this Finds article.

Pause and Pray

Lord Jesus, thank You for coming to earth to serve. Please help me to overcome the allure of pride and comfort so I can humbly serve the people You’ve put in my life. Thank You for who You made me to be. Please help me identify ways I can use my time, talents, and resources to make a difference. In Your name above all names, Jesus, amen.