Perhaps, the most practical, down-to-earth evidence of a Christ-like spirit is unselfish service to others. For Jesus “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mt. 20:28). Pride often gets in the way of becoming effective servants in the kingdom of our Lord. But, we have not fully understood the love of Jesus unless we demonstrate such in our own lives through humble service to others. In Galatians 5:13, Paul warns us not to use the freedom we enjoy in Christ to gratify our own fleshly desires. Instead, we must use our freedom as an opportunity to “serve one another” in love.
Tragically, we often choose the kind of service we prefer to render rather than the kind of service that is needed to meet the needs of the moment. We want to serve, but we want to serve others on our terms. We want to do only that which is convenient for us. Sometimes, we just don’t want to get our hands dirty. But, that’s really not what service is all about. Service is seeing a need and filling it in the love of Christ.
When the disciples gathered together for what would be their last meal together before His death, no one seemed inclined to humble themselves so as to serve the rest. But, Jesus taught a valuable lesson in John chapter thirteen, when he took up the towel of service and washed the disciples’ feet. We can almost feel the rush of embarrassment in the face of the disciples as their Lord and Master stooped to wash their dirty feet. Then, when He completed the task, he told them to follow His example, remembering that “a slave is not greater than his master” (vs. 16). Let us go and do likewise.
–Glen Elliott–