Serving With HeartSample

Surrender To Serve

Ready: 

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  —Matthew 20:28

Set: 

While NBA broadcaster Ernie Johnson had been a believer for years, God was calling him to something more, to greater risk and deeper boldness to profess his faith and share his story in a public setting. Johnson stepped out and began sharing his testimony, his first experience coming out of service to a friend. 

Johnson reminds us that service is a state of heart, a bending of our own will to seek that of our Father. It’s when we come to the end of our own ability that we are sent out of our comfort zone, and we hear the voice of God nudging us to something unfamiliar. We reach out to do what we think we cannot, surrendering our fears for the sake of someone else. 

Jesus, the ultimate picture of servanthood, bent His immortal frame in human flesh, turning down alleyways to call out to the marginalized and forgotten. He submerged His hands in water and washed the feet of His own followers. And He hung on a cross for humanity, bearing the brunt of God’s wrath so we would have an eternal home in Heaven. His example should permeate our every thought and action as we mold our hearts in a posture of vulnerability and take up a servant-minded position like our Savior. 

There is no better act of love than to lay down our lives for another. And, because God so frequently works in reverse, it’s often in our pouring out that our own spirit is finally filled. —Sarah Rennicke

Go:

1. Where do you find yourself struggling to serve others when you don’t want to?
2. How can you show a teammate you care for them?
3. In what ways can you ask God to guide you out of your comfort zone?

Workout: 

• John 13:13–16 
• John 15:13
• Galatians 5:13–14

Overtime: 

Father God, I am thankful that I have the example of Jesus to show me what it means to serve. Sometimes I am afraid to leave what I’m used to and sacrifice my time, resources and words to give when it is inconvenient for me. Show me what it is to lose myself for the sake of Your gospel. Amen.

This text appeared in FCA Magazine. Follow @FCAMag on Twitter for more faith and sports content. Click here.