Year of the Servant

©iStockphoto.com/NatanaelGinting

Ok, so there’s no Chinese calendar year by that name – it certainly sounds more ennobling than rat, pig, or donkey, right? (Apparently, this year, it’s the year of the Horse. I was born in the year of the Goat. Yippee.)

I was thinking the other day about themes for this year; words or phrases that I would want to rally my heart around; that resonated in me; that would remind me of the primary, essential, majorly important truths for my lie that God has been articulating to me recently.

One word has continued to return again and again – servant.

It has been a slow emergence in my soul over the past few years that to live humbly and look for ways to give of myself to others is at the core of what it means both to follow Christ and also to serve others in love. By being sensitive to His promptings, I am practicing the very obedience I pray for and desire in my personal times with Him.

And it’s clear from the Scriptures that this focus on being a servant is at the bullseye of its message for us. In reality, it's at the center of the 2nd part of the Great Commandment - to love your neighbor as yourself.

It’s clear from scriptures that God desires us to have other-centered hearts and serve others in love. We read in Galatians 5:13 that "you, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love."

It’s clear from scriptures that serving others not like yourself, or giving to those hurting and in desperate need demonstrates the redemptive dignity of actually blessing Jesus Christ himself.  in Matthew 25:40, we read that Jesus said "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

It’s evidently clear that He uniquely equips us in different ways and degrees to share and give out of the strengths that we have so we can bless others. (Romans 12:6-8)

The Word is clear also that as we engage in love with others – serving where it’s needed, giving out of the overflow of what God’s giving us – we are providing a moment to glimpse the very heart and presence of Jesus in our midst.

So as I embark upon this chronological journey through time over the next 11 months, I am hopeful that my heart and mind will be open, receptive, and sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit – that when He calls me to stop me in my daily traffic jams and make a move with Him to help another, I am responsive and not resistant to Him.

I hope you'll be willing to join me and discover the passion of God to see a world blessed due to your service.

May you also discover the joy, the satisfaction, and the new ventures that arise from those moments where you listen and respond to the Holy Spirit and make this year the Year of the Servant.