A Servant’s Heart

“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” ( Matthew 20:28, NKJV)

To truly follow Christ, we should pray for a servant’s heart.

A servant is

1. A person employed by another, especially to perform domestic duties.
2. A person in the service of another.

And “service” is defined as an act of helpful activity.

But, before obtaining a servant’s heart, we need a servant’s mentality. We must die to our flesh and be born again with a servant’s mentality.

We serve God because He is God, and to serve Him means to serve people.

What do a servant’s heart and a servant’s mentality look like?

For our example, we don’t need to look further than the three years of Christ’s ministry recorded in the New Testament. Even though He had great power and all authority, He was not recognized as such by most people during His earthly ministry. In Matthew 20:28, Jesus stated that He came to serve. His entire ministry was serving people by teaching, healing, and feeding everyone who would allow Him to, even those He knew would not follow Him, and those who could not do anything to pay Him back. In other words, Jesus came to serve everyone.

We cannot serve as He did in our own ability, but we can serve with His authority and strength. If we have faith, we can do all things through Christ, the Holy Ghost working through us.

What else can we do? We can encourage and pray for one another. Ask God for discernment because people who need prayer and encouragement don’t always ask. Sometimes, they are so deep in their pain that they have accepted it. But God may have other plans for them, and we can exercise the gift of discernment as we serve them.

We can actively look for opportunities to serve in practical ways:

• If you see a full trash can at the church, take the bag out to the garbage. Check bathrooms before you leave to ensure everything is clean and in good working order.
• Find ways to help parents with young children during services so they don’t get worn out.
• Don’t let people sit alone at church functions. Make sure to acknowledge visitors and new people.
• Donate to the food bank.
• Offer a valet service so people can help their disabled or elderly relatives or friends in and out of the church building.
• Call someone God has laid on your heart. Take someone out to lunch or coffee.

You get the idea. These are small things you can do that will significantly impact others. Just because you don’t have a “sanctioned” ministry doesn’t mean God does not have work for you to do. Ask your pastor what you can do to help around the church.

There is more to ministry than what you see on the platform. If we are willing, we can serve our congregations and communities in many more ways.

How do you serve people outside the church? You can serve much like you do inside the church. When you see a need, fill it with a servant’s heart and mentality. It is that simple.

To truly serve, your actions should be driven by genuine care, regardless of whether others take notice. However, our service is often observed by others, and this visibility can serve as a testament to our Christlike behavior, potentially opening hearts to the gospel. It’s worth noting that while Jesus occasionally performed miracles discreetly, urging secrecy (Mark 1:43 and Mark 7:36), and John acknowledged that not all of Jesus’ actions were recorded (John 21:25), the message remains: serve faithfully, irrespective of an audience, and strive to reflect the character of God to the best of your ability.

Use whatever spiritual gift you have to serve. Don’t try to mimic or copy what someone else does. Others can be the model, example, or representation of what you want to do, but God may not have given you the same spiritual gifts that He gave them. He made you with the gifts He wanted you to have for a reason. If you do not know your spiritual gifts or talents, ask your pastor or other wise council and have them pray that God will reveal His desire for your life of service.

If you want to serve God, pray for a servant’s heart and mentality. Use discernment. Love and serve people as Christ did.