Jesus is MY Servant??

Person pouring coffee into a carafe next to a pedestal of cookies and a cup

Have you ever stopped to think to yourself, "Jesus is MY Servant"?  If you are like me, I'm thinking that thought probably hadn't crossed your mind.  But as you will see, there is nothing irreverent about realizing that indeed He is our servant...

During this past advent season, I was greatly blessed to read John Piper's Advent Devotional, The Dawning of Indestructible Joy.  Each devotion provided new and wonderful insights about our Lord and Savior, insights I had never pondered before...

One insight that John Piper shared about Jesus, which struck me quite profoundly, was that He is OUR servant.  Jesus is My servant??

Whose serving who?


My first thought of servanthood, in the context of Christianity, is service to the Lord.  There are certainly verses that speak directly to God's people being called to "serve God".

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, 
"Let My people go, that they may serve Me.  
Exodus 8:1

So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, 
"Go, serve the LORD your God! 
Exodus 10:8

Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing.
Psalm 100:2

Jesus answered him, "It is written, 
'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY."
Luke 4:8

The more I searched the Scriptures, the more perplexed I became at John Piper's bold statement that Jesus was our servant.  

The list of definitions for the word serve in the KJV Dictionary was convincing me further that Jesus was not MY servant.

:To act as the minister of; to perform official duties to; as, a minister serves his prince.
:To obey; to perform duties in the employment of; as, to serve the king or the country in the army or navy.

{Jesus is the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  He shouldn't fit into those definitions!}

:To be subservient or subordinate to.

{May it never be!}

It seemed I wasn't finding any definition for serve that would back up John Piper's statement.

Until...

:To be sufficient for; to satisfy; to content.

This lone definition of serve shed light on something I was losing sight of - Jesus came to earth to serve.  He served through His death, a death that was the ONLY act sufficient to cover over our sins, to satisfy the penalty of death that we deserved...

Dictionary of Bible Themes says...

Jesus Christ laid aside his majesty in order to serve humanity. His death is the supreme example of His servanthood: the fulfilling of the will of God his Father.

And Jesus' own Words...

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, 
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45

Why you must allow Jesus to serve you


John Piper says...

"What a horrendous mistake it would be if we heard Jesus' call to be the servant of all, {Whoever would be first among you must be slave of all... Mark 10:44}, as a call to serve Him.  It is not.  It is a call to learn how to be served by Him.  Don't miss this.  This is the heart of Christianity.  This is what sets our faith off from all other major religions.  Our God does not need our service, nor is He glorified by recruits who want to help Him out.  Our God is so full and so self-sufficient and so overflowing in power and life and joy that He glorifies Himself by serving us."

It was this next quote from John Piper's devotional that spoke such encouragement and comfort to me...

"Here is the general truth to ponder and believe:  every time Jesus commands something for us to do, it is His way of telling us how He wants to serve us.  Let me say it another way:  the path of obedience is the place where Christ meets us as our servant to carry our burdens and give us His power."

Does that not fill you with amazing hope and confidence?!

The Lord will never ask us to do something He isn't already planning on doing through us!  He stands ready to help, to guide, TO SERVE.  We just need to seek and accept that help.

Not only does He help us with the works He has set aside for us to do, but His servanthood leaves us without excuse to walk in obedience.  Jesus gives us HIS power to fight temptation and to obey!   "The Lord commands our obedience and offers His help."

I've never had the privilege of having a maid or a house cleaner that comes in once a week to clean my house. The few people I've known who employed the service of a maid seemed to have the same story...  They didn't want the maid to see how messy their house was, so they ended up doing a good part of the cleaning anyway - negating any benefit of having a maid in the first place.

I think we all can be guilty of this when it comes to relying on God for help.  I know my natural response is to try to do things in my own strength.  How silly, when I have Jesus who is ready and willing to serve me with His strength and wisdom.  

If I may be so bold to say, when we don't rely on Christ as our Servant, we are negating the benefit of His death on the cross.

Your life, Your death
Your blood was shed
For every moment
Every moment
Michael W. Smith

Yes, we are also called to be servants of Christ, but in that office of servant, we must act in Christ's strength to serve so that Christ's Glory is seen - the true Servant.  We are the vehicle's, but Christ must be the driver.

May we all submit to Jesus' spectacular offer to be our servants; to let Him be God; to trust Him to be the Supplier, the Strengthener, the Counselor, the Guide and the Savior, so that we may enjoy ALL His benefits.

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Comments

  1. That Jesus is our servant, really stood out to me as well when I read John Pipers book. And like you it didn't sit right with me at first, then the truth of it hit me and it was very humbling.

    Thanks for sharing your insights here Karen.

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    1. Cathy, Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts here. I appreciate it! :-)

      You are very welcome!

      Delete
  2. I struggled to find how Jesus could be "my" servant. Very profound book. I enjoyed your review and the moment of truth that it served to me. I hope you will consider linking up with us Literacy Musing Mondays. :) http://maryanderingcreatively.com/cultivate-love-in-family/

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    1. Mary, Thank you for sharing your thoughts here. I am glad you received new insight.

      Thank you so much for the invite. I have linked up with Literacy Musing Mondays. :-)

      Delete
  3. I have never read this book, and I admit, I do not, in any way, like to look at it this way. I can see what you mean, as you explained it very well. One of my favorite Bible verses is Isaiah 41:10, "Fear thou not, for I am with thee, be not dismayed for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." What a dear blessing to know that Christ, the Hope of glory, is living within us and is enabling us to do His Father's will! Thank you for your dear, sweet spirit, Karen. So thankful for you!

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    1. Cheryl,I love that verse from Isaiah 41:10. It was actually one of the first verses I memorized with my prayer partner as a new believer. :-) That verse does indeed showcase Christ as our "ever present help".

      Awe, I am humbled by your kind and thoughtful words. I am thankful for you too! :-)

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  4. Thought-provoking post. I've never really thought of it like that before but it makes a lot of sense. It's easy to make following Jesus about what we do for him rather than accepting what he does for us and remembering our dependence on him.

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    1. Carly, Thank you.

      I appreciate so much you sharing your thoughts here. :-)

      Thanks for visiting!

      Delete
  5. He came to serve and not to be served. What an awesome God.
    What a great read.

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    1. Lux, Indeed our God is awesome!

      Thank you for your kind words and for stopping by. :-)

      Delete
  6. So thankful He set the example of servanthood. So very blessed to be able to serve under that example, and with that strength. Love Him.:) Thank you for sharing, Karen. :)

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    1. Brenda, Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts here and joining in the conversation. :-)

      You are very welcome!

      Delete
  7. Karen, I loved this: "The Lord will never ask us to do something He isn't already planning on doing through us! He stands ready to help, to guide, TO SERVE. We just need to seek and accept that help." This is a truth that I feel that the Lord has been pressing upon my mind and my heart, especially as I raise my children and I see how He is able, He is willing to help me CONSTANTLY to serve them and to nurture them. Thank you for reminding me of this truth!! As I was reading your post, the picture of Jesus washing His disciple's feet came to my mind. I love the verse in Mark 10:45 that you shared. What a beautiful, precious Savior--dying to give life, humbling Himself to be exalted, a Servant and yet a King.

    The Lord Jesus Christ bless you, Karen!

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    1. Bekki, Thank you so much for sharing your precious thoughts here.

      Indeed, a beautiful, precious Savior, a humble Servant and exalted King.

      Blessings to you Bekki. Your words always encourage and bless me. <3

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  8. Yes, when we still our minds and begin to seek and understand Christ's words, it often blows my mind to realize how He serves us. And how it was planned from the beginning! Thank you for sharing!

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    1. Carrie, Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts here. I appreciate it!

      So glad you stopped by. :-)

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  9. Beautiful words of wisdom here! Jesus is our perfect example of what it means to serve. And I am so thankful that I don't have to do things on my own because He is always there supporting and serving me through His strength. Thank you for sharing this!

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    1. Bree, Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. Praising God for His leading.

      Thank you for sharing your thoughts here. I have been blessed by your visit. :-)

      Delete
  10. Great words here, Karen. You're absolutely right, it's ok to ask for help--whether that's in faith or just in cleaning your house--asking for assistance allows you to take care of yourself, so you can take care of those around you. Thanks so much for sharing on #SHINEbloghop! Glad to see you can join us!

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    1. Maria, Thank you for your kind words.

      Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and joining in the conversation. :-)

      It's nice to be a part of SHINE. :-)

      Delete
  11. The gracious Lord taught us a great deal. It was His service Mary was enjoying when she chose to sit and be served. The Lord encourages us to lay our burden down or yokes and bear His because His own is light and easy...Matthew 11:28
    Thank you friend.
    How have you been? Been a long while.
    Hugs and blessings to you.

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  12. The gracious Lord taught us a great deal. It was His service Mary was enjoying when she chose to sit and be served. The Lord encourages us to lay our burden down or yokes and bear His because His own is light and easy...Matthew 11:28
    Thank you friend.
    How have you been? Been a long while.
    Hugs and blessings to you.

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    1. Ifeoma! It's so good to hear from you!

      Indeed He did!

      I love your insight about Mary. I never thought of it that way, but how very true.

      I appreciate you sharing your thoughts here and I very much appreciate you!

      Well, I had been doing good, but have had a few bouts with sickness in the last few weeks, (two stomach bugs and now I have a cold). Having a grandbaby in the house brings more germs in, lol. But the joy of this precious little one far exceeds any discomfort of being sick. :-)

      How have you been?

      Blessings to you. :-)

      Delete
  13. This really is such a profound thought, and I'm so thankful you made me stop for a moment in this crazy day and ponder it. What a blessing!

    Another way that came to my mind as I thought about this is that Christ serves us is through His intercession for us.

    Thanks so much for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday!
    Tina

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    1. Tina, Thank you for your kind words. Praising God for the wisdom of men like John Piper and the Lord's leading to have me share.

      I LOVE the insight you shared. Indeed, His intercession is an incredible service to us.

      You are very welcome! :-)

      Delete

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