Humble Yourself to Serve
- J.J. Papin
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
Mark 9:35 (NIV)
The best attitude that pleases God is to humble yourself to serve others. Hearing it said and saying it yourself seems easy, but when it comes to putting it into practice, we refuse because we sometimes believe ourselves to be too important or more important than those before whom we humble ourselves. Yet, Jesus, although he was the leader of the twelve, did not consider himself superior to them. He performed miracles, he confronted the religious leaders who wanted to destroy him, he preached everywhere he went, and yet, he considered himself the equal of his disciples.
What prevents us from humbling ourselves to serve? Because we lack a spirit of service. For us, serving others is humiliating. So, what does it mean to serve? To serve is to consider the needs of others as much as one's own. The doctor you consult serves you. The customer service representative serves you. The pastor who preaches from the pulpit is there to serve you. They must meet you at your level of understanding to help you: the doctor, to treat you; the customer service representative, to assist you; and the pastor, to teach you. They humble themselves before you to make you feel comfortable.
Those with a spirit of service set aside their pride, their needs, and their own gratification to help others. Therefore, there is nothing humiliating about putting yourself in someone else's shoes to understand and help them. It is in this sense that Jesus asks us to be last. He teaches the twelve the concept of humility; Peter considered himself too lowly before Jesus to allow Him to wash his feet, meaning that without this example of Christ's humility, he would never have done it himself. You cannot serve others without making them feel comfortable; the spirit of service is the only way to understand that there is nothing humiliating about humbling yourself to serve.
May the grace and peace of God be with you.