Rick Warren's Daily DevotionalSample

Servants Maintain a Low Profile Real servants maintain a low profile. Servants don't promote or call attention to themselves. Instead of acting to impress and dressing for success, they "put on the apron of humility, to serve one another." (1 Peter 5:5 TEV) If recognized for their service, they humbly accept it but don't allow notoriety to distract them from their work. Paul spoke about a kind of service that appears to be spiritual but is really just a put-on, a show to get attention. He called it "eye service," serving in order to impress people with how spiritual we are. This was a sin of the Pharisees. They turned helping others, giving, and even prayer into a performance for others. Jesus hated this attitude and warned, "When you do good deeds, don't try to show off. If you do, you won't get a reward from your Father in heaven." (Matthew 6:1 CEV) Real servants don't serve for the approval or applause of others. They live for an audience of One. You won't find many real servants in the limelight; in fact, they avoid it whenever possible. They are content with quietly serving in the shadows. You may be serving in obscurity in some small place, feeling unknown and unappreciated. Listen: God put you where you are for a purpose! He has every hair on your head numbered, and he knows your address.