Servanthood

Colossians 3:22-24
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

When I was in high school I went on an overseas mission trip a few summers in a row. The organization I went with had a two-week training period they liked to call “boot camp.” During boot camp, our team got to know each other. We learned how to cook for 60 people, set up and tear down tents, get up in 5 minutes flat, memorize scripture, share our faith, and respect God’s creation. We would sometimes go 3-5 days without showering and we would also get in trouble for complaining about it. During one of these prolonged no-shower periods, four of our senior staff sat in lawn chairs and watched as our entire team passed by a piece of trash sitting out in the field we were tenting on. One lucky student from our group, Jonathan, passed the trash, turned around, picked it up, and was immediately cheered and rushed at by the senior staff. He was granted a shower for taking care of God’s creation. Most of us had seen the trash but had not bothered to pick it up. To this day, it makes me cringe to walk past trash and not pick it up. I pick it up, not because I’m hoping for a free shower or a pat on the back, but because I learned a valuable lesson that day: It is my responsibility to take care of God’s earth, and it is the Lord Christ I am serving. I should serve whether or not people are watching.

According to Colossians 3, a true test of servant hood is when I:

´ Obey those in authority over me
o Question: Do I have a rebellious spirit when it comes to authority? Am I obedient?
´ Serve when no one is looking
o Question: Do I serve when no one is looking, or when I know I will get credit for what I’m doing? Do I tell others when I have served and no one saw me so I will be acknowledged?
´ Serve with sincerity of heart
o Question: Do I grumble and complain inwardly or outwardly when asked to serve? Do I serve for ulterior motives of acknowledgement? Is my heart sincerely serving those around me?
´ Serve with reverence for the Lord
o Question: Do I have profound awe and respect for the Lord when I serve? Am I considering that He is the God I am serving when I serve?
´ Serve with my whole heart
o Question: Do I serve half-heartedly? Am I distracted? Do I dread the opportunity to serve? Is my heart in this?
´ Work for the Lord—it is Jesus I am serving
o Do I serve as if it was Jesus who asked me to do the task? Do I consider that it may be His house I am cleaning, His church that needs help, or His mouth that needs to be fed?

Today, if you feel like you can’t
o Wash another load of laundry
o Do another load of dishes
o Clean up after your family one more time
o Volunteer at church—AGAIN
o Stop to help someone in need
o Pick up one more piece of trash

Remember that it is Jesus Christ you are serving. Do it for the Lord, not man. Do it when no one is looking. Your reward is in heaven—an inheritance that cannot mold, rot, or be destroyed!