Serve Like Jesus
Monday, June 28, 2021
Mark 10:45
This week, I'm going to talk to you about improving your serve. That's right, I'm going to teach you how to play tennis. (No, not really!) I want to talk to you about how you can be a better servant of God. So, I'm going to give you three things to consider when it comes to serving God. The first is this: When it comes to serving others, serve like Jesus Christ. Think about Jesus Christ. He came to earth in the most humble of fashions at Christmas with no place to lay his head at the inn, but in the manger. You know that whole story. From then on, Jesus Christ lived his life in abject humility. But he came as God, and because he came as God, he deserved to be served. Yet, what a God he is to do the exact opposite. He came to serve us. Mark 10:45 tells us, "The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." The Son of Man, Jesus Christ, did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus Christ came to earth to serve us. What is service? Serve-us. Jesus Christ served us in the greatest way. Ultimately, his death on the cross was the greatest serve to us. He lost the perfect serve by giving his life on the cross and taking our place on the cross. And if you want to be like Jesus Christ, you have to learn to serve others.
You know, I'm kind of still in mourning because Drew Brees retired as quarterback of the New Orleans Saints (a great football team). So, I've been curious to see who's going to win the backup quarterback battle. The Saints have two guys, a guy named Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill. Jameis Winston came from Tampa Bay. He was the first round pick number one overall draft pick a few years ago from Tampa, won the Heisman Trophy at Florida State University. He is professing to be a Christian, and I believe it. He said, "One of the things I learned from Drew Brees, and one of the things I practice, is I just want to serve everybody I can. I serve. How can I serve you? How can I serve you? How can I serve you?" When someone like Jameis says that, that convinces me he's a Christian because he has the fruit of being a Christian: he's serving.
If you want to be most like Jesus Christ, serve people. If the Son of Man came to serve, not to be served, and to give his life as a ransom, the ultimate service to humanity in the world, so should you. Are you improving your serve? Are you serving like Jesus Christ? "How do I do that, Vince?" Simple. Learn to say this phrase with sincerity to as many people as you can, in as many situations as you can, "How can I serve you?" You start talking to someone and say, "Hey, how are you doing? How can I serve you? How can I help you?" If you do that, I am telling you right now, you'll find a lot more joy because the world suggests to us that when people serve us, we're powerful. It's powerful to have people under you who serve you. There's a place for that, I suppose, but even the greatest leaders who have "people under them," are serving them as well. I want to be a great leader, and I want to keep getting better and better at improving my own serve. Do you serve like Jesus Christ served other people? Start by serving your family. Your spouse, your children, your parents, whatever the situation is, and then serve others. And here's another thing, serve in the church. Use your gifts in the church. We're going to talk about this, but man, the church needs your gifts. Our church needs your gifts, every church does.
Let's pray. Father in heaven, I pray that you help us improve our serve and serve like Jesus Christ. Help us to give our life away to others. Thank you that you didn't call us to die on the cross for others, but you did call us to sacrifice. Help us to find joy in that, so that we improve our serve. In Jesus' name. Amen.