4 Steps To Protecting Your Servant’s Heart

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Serving with a pure heart can be challenging. Doing anything with a pure heart is challenging, it might have something to do with the whole Jeremiah 17:9 thing.

[box_light]“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”[/box_light]

So how’s your servant heart doing?

Has serving your church become more of a chore and grind? Are selfish emotions and ambitions getting in the way of a more pure worship? Do you feel like the current good work you’re doing is “pointless”? Here are a few important truths we need to hide in our servant heart while working in the name of Jesus:

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1. Serving is a spiritual discipline.

Serving is essential in any successful relationship. Biblically, husbands are called to spend their lives serving their wives and vice versa. Think about your closest and most successful friendships and it doesn’t take too long to realize how much time you spend serving them, whether it be through actual favors or serving by spending your time and energy on them. It’s no different with our relationships with Jesus. We’re going to miss out on a big part of it if we are not serving him and doing good in his name. I love the ESV translation of John 4:34:

[box_light]Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.[/box_light]

As men, we never forget to eat. Food is a pretty high priority on our list. That same hunger for the work of God needs to permeate our hearts also.

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2. Don’t get caught up in the now.

You’re not going to always see the impact of your work right away. This makes it challenging to continue and press on at times. We live in a culture of immediate satisfaction and low wait times, so we often get discouraged when we don’t see the fruits of our labor right away. The founders of so many great churches and ministries have passed away, long before seeing the humble roots of their work grow into amazing tools for the kingdom. What would have happened if they quit because things weren’t blowing up right away?

What you’re doing right now may seem small, but never underestimate the power of what God can do through his people’s smallest actions.

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3. Every gift is useful.

God created us to work together. It’s awesome to think that as the body of Christ, among all of our talents and skills, there is nothing we cannot accomplish in his name while here on earth. God has given us all specific talents, experiences and abilities to accomplish his work. Check out 1 Corinthians 12:15-20 when Paul teaches about the body of Christ.

[box_light]15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.[/box_light]

I love the imagery Paul uses here of the body. In order for the body to function to its maximized potential, ALL parts of it must work together. If we’re too busy glorifying particular parts and neglecting others, we are left with a broken body that is only able to accomplish so much. Let’s start celebrating what every member of the body has to offer and start getting the most of our God given talents.

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4. Don’t make it about you (don’t think you’re too good).

I currently intern at a church and this is something I struggle with often, and I’m willing to admit it. I love leading small groups, speaking opportunities and organizing bible studies. I’m not exactly crazy about cutting flyers promoting church events, stacking chairs and cleaning up after church dinners. Sometimes I just don’t feel like doing the “dirty work”. Jesus had a little something to say about that. We are all familiar with Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. He wasn’t just doing them a favor; he was making a huge statement. Foot washing was considered the lowest work of the low during that time. Jesus had no problem doing this. Not only was he doing the dirty work, he was doing it for people significantly less important than he was. We need to learn to stop making serving God about ourselves, and make it more about, well, God.

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If you’re reading this and not currently serving, I want to encourage you to make that a priority and intentionally seek out opportunities to do so. If your currently serving at a church or organization, I pray that you keep fighting the good fight and keep working hard in the name of our savior.

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