The next song for my Blog is a song that was written in 1982 by Kelly Willard. A link to the Maranatha Singers performing the song is at the bottom of this Blog entry.
Make Me a Servant
Make me a servant,
Humble and meek,
Lord, let me lift up those who are weak,
And may the prayer of my heart always be
Make me a servant,
Make me a servant,
Make me a servant, today
This is basically a simple chorus, but I believe the words of this song get lost in today’s world, even in our churches. It seems as if every time I turn on the TV, go to the internet, or go to social media; I am overwhelmed with the news of athletes and entertainers seeking more money than they will ever need or politicians fighting for personal gain instead of truly supporting the needs of the country. I hear of people who do whatever it takes to become the best, or perhaps spend their entire lives focusing on the next higher position in their job. I suppose it all boils down to, it is the “all about me” attitude. Don’t get me wrong, I think everyone should always do the best they can and that we should do what is necessary to support our families, our friends, and others that have needs.
The question I have for you today is, are you a servant, or are you the one who has to always be in control of everything? Being a servant of God basically means you are willing to do whatever he asks of you. It is always putting others first instead of yourself. In Philippians 2:6-8, we find out how Jesus was a servant for us, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross.”
Just imagine, the very son of God became a man and became a servant to all of us. He carried the power of his father, but he willingly gave up everything for us. He obeyed his father because of his love for him and for us. Jesus came to earth to save us, to meet our needs, heal our sickness, give us hope, encourage us, to let us know we are never alone, to be a leader for us, and the list goes on. He wants us to do the same thing for others in need. We need to be meek, mild, respectful, humble, and encouraging to others. He expects us to be there for others as they need help; to take off the “me” hat and put others first. Many believe meek to mean someone who can be taken advantage of or run over, but it incorporates the attributes mentioned above as well as teachable, patient under suffering, and willing to share the gospel as directed by Christ. This doesn’t mean we are weak or unwilling to fight for what is right, it merely means we have the desire to do what God has told us to do in his word. The song spells out the qualities of a servant and also asks that God make us a servant. Perhaps the greatest thing we can ever become is a true servant to God and others. As a servant, we lift up others and make them strong
We find another example of Jesus being a servant in John 13:12-17, these are the verses that Jesus delivers his message of being a servant after he washes the feet of his disciples, When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
In the above scripture, we are shown that we can be both a leader and a servant. The key attribute of the leader Jesus describes is that the leader leads based on the needs of the followers and not to be in the role for self-edification, power, or control. The best leader is going to be one who has the qualities of a servant and who wants to lead others based on direction from God. Imagine the King of Kings on his hands and knees washing your filthy feet that have been in sandals walking on dirt streets all day. Yet he did this cleansing without complaint and to show that even he was not too good to be the servant that God expects all of us to be.
Have you ever asked God to make you a servant and meant it with all of your heart?
Click to Hear Kelly Willard and The Maranatha Singers Perform Make Me a Servant