For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)
1Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:1 – 8)
This week we turn our attention to the Disciplines of Service and Stewardship, and continue to reflect on our theme for this year, Our Identity. We will start with Service.
The concept of Service being an integral part of the identity of disciples of Jesus, should not in question. However, a pertinent question is, how do we live a life of service daily? We should look no further than Jesus as the perfect example, and we should renew our minds to “have the same mindset as Christ Jesus”.
Please prayerfully reflect on the Bible passages above.
Something to think about:
The character traits of Jesus as a servant speak volumes. As you think about your identity as a servant, what key characteristics of Jesus appeal to you?