Day 33. How Real Servants Act

Whoever wants to be great must become a servant
○ Mark 10:43

You can tell what they are by what they do
○ Matthew 7:16

We serve God by serving others.

The world defines greatness in terms of
○ Power
○ Possessions
○ Prestige
○ Position

Jesus measured greatness in terms of SERVICE, not status.
○ God determines your greatness by how many people you serve, not how many people serve you

While knowing your shape is important for serving God, having the heart of a servant is even more important.
○ Without of servant's heart, you'll be tempted to misuse your shape for personal gain
Or be tempted to use it as an excuse to exempt yourself from meeting some needs
○ God often tests our hearts by asking us to serve in way's we're not shaped
§ Your primary ministry should be in the area of your shape
§ Your secondary service is wherever you're needed @ the moment
○ Your shape reveals your ministry but your servant's heart will reveal your maturity
§ Anyone can be a servant. All it requires is character.

A SERVANT'S HEART
○ Real servants make themselves available to serve
§ No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him - 2 Tim 2:4
○ Real servants pay attention to needs
§ Whenever we have the opportunity, we have to do what's good for everyone, especially for the family of believers - Gal 6:10
§ Do all the good you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can - John Wesley
○ Real servants do their best with what they have
§ Don't make excuses, procrastinate, or wait for better circumstances
§ If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done - Ecc 11:4
§ God expects you to do what you can, with what you have, wherever you are.
○ Real servants do every task with equal dedication
§ You'll never arrive at the state in life where you're too important to help with menial tasks. God will never exempt you from the mundane, it's a vital part of your character curriculum.
□ If you think you're too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You're really a nobody. - Gal 6:3
§ Jesus specialized in menial tasks that everyone else tried to avoid
□ Feet washing, helping kids, fixing breakfast, & serving lepers
○ Real servants are faithful to their ministry
§ Servants finish their tasks, fulfill responsibilities, keep promises, and complete commitments
§ Faithfulness has always been a rare quality -(Psalm 12:1; Pvb 20:6; Phil 2:19-22)
○ Real servants maintain a low profile
§ When Christ shows up again on this earth , you'll show up, too - the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity - Col 3:4

P2P: I serve God by serving others

V2R: If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded - Matt. 10:42

Q2C: Which of the six characteristics of real servants offers the greatest challenge to me?