Day 12: The Lord Who Came to Serve
Bible passage: Philippians 2:5–8; Mark 10:42–45; Matthew 23:11–12; 1 Peter 5:5–7
An Upside-Down Kingdom
Today is Tuesday 9th of April 2019. Welcome to Day 12 of our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. We have seen that God is all-powerful and holy. Today we see what He does with His power. He serves.
James and John had asked Jesus for the best seats in His Kingdom, and the other disciples were furious. Jesus called them together and told them that greatness works differently among His people. Then He pointed to Himself. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others.” Mark 10:45 (NLT)
He added that He had come to give His life as a ransom for many.
The God Who Serves
He Did Not Cling
Paul describes the journey Jesus made. Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. He gave up His divine privileges. He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross (Philippians 2:6–8).
Each step goes lower: from heaven to earth, from Lord to slave, from life to death, and to the most shameful kind of death. Nobody made Him do it. He chose it.
This Is What God Is Like
We should not think that Jesus served in spite of being God. He served because that is what God is like. The One with all power uses it for others. When we look at Jesus kneeling to wash feet and stretching out His arms on the cross, we are seeing the heart of God.
The Same Attitude
Greatness Redefined
Paul introduces that passage with a command. We must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had (Philippians 2:5). Jesus puts it plainly. In the world, rulers lord it over people. Among His followers it is to be different. Whoever wants to be a leader must be a servant (Mark 10:42–43). The greatest among us must be a servant, and those who humble themselves will be exalted (Matthew 23:11–12).
Dressed for Service
Peter tells all of us to dress ourselves in humility as we relate to one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. We are to humble ourselves under God’s mighty power, and at the right time He will lift us up. And we are to give all our worries and cares to Him, because He cares about us (1 Peter 5:5–7).
Humble people are free people. They have nothing to prove and nobody to impress, because their Father is looking after them.
Three Steps for Today
Praise Him. Thank Jesus for His willingness to serve you and to give His life for you.
Ask where. Ask God to show you one place where He wants you to serve, at home, at work or in church.
Take the lower place. Do one job today that is beneath you, and do it gladly, without telling anyone.
Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus, You are God, and yet You took the place of a slave for me. Thank You for coming not to be served but to serve, and for giving Your life as my ransom. Give me Your attitude. Forgive my pride and my wish to be noticed. Show me where You want me to serve, and help me to do it as You would. Amen.
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