The Heart and Mind of Serving

I serve others because He first served me

Read it: Mark 10:41-45

Think on it:

⁴¹ When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ⁴³ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:41-45

For those of you who read these weekly devotions, this passage was referred to just a couple of weeks ago in the devotion introducing the concept of “I serve others because He first served me,” so it might seem recently familiar to you. To refresh the setting, here is a brief synopsis of what was happening in this passage. The disciples were arguing about who would be seated on Jesus’ right and left when He set up His kingdom. James and John were asking Jesus to allow it to be them. The other ten disciples were indignant when they heard about this, because they felt slighted, unappreciated, and had their feelings hurt. When Jesus stepped in, He let them know they were all wrong. He made a clear delineation between the way this world works and the way God’s kingdom works.

This passage emphasizes the enormous contrast between the focus of the world, when it comes to greatness, and how greatness is approached in God’s kingdom. In this passage, Jesus was trying to get His disciples to see the different mindset that must happen when someone is part of His kingdom, compared to the mindset of someone with a “worldly” outlook. Jesus was quite clear – rulers in this world are seeking power so they can “lord it over” others and “exercise authority over them” (verse 42). However, those who are great in His kingdom, who have true power, are those who are not seeking greatness and power (verses 43-44). There is no selfish motive in the great people in God’s kingdom. They are not looking to “lord it over” others or looking for the opportunity to “exercise authority” over those around them. Their focus is on others, and not on themselves.

What I find interesting in this passage is that Jesus never told His disciples that power and authority were bad things. At no time did He try to discourage them from pursuing greatness, authority, or a position of leadership. What He emphasized instead was the mindset and the actions that are required of greatness in His kingdom. To become great in His kingdom, the focus is on serving. In the world, the focus is on becoming great.

There are two things that Jesus emphasized in this brief conversation with His disciples.

1. Those who are great in His kingdom have a heart that is free from self-centeredness. They are not so caught up in pursuing their own greatness that they are blind to the needs of others. They desire to help others and are always on the lookout for how to serve others – even at great cost to themselves.
2. Those who are great in His kingdom pursue a great character. Rather than ask, “What’s in it for me?” a person of great character is motivated by asking, “How can I, in this moment, raise someone else up and meet their needs?” It is a matter of obedience to what God has told us – “love one another.” A person of great character does what God asks.

In these few verses, Jesus was telling His disciples to focus on helping those around them, to spend their life giving all they had for their Master and giving all they had for others. When our focus is off of self and on to others – greatness will follow. Being in a position of authority means being in the position of a servant. That is the mindset and the heart we all need to have if we desire to be a part of God’s kingdom.

The people who have walked this earth with the greatest impact are those who are and have been true servants, with a servant’s heart and mindset. They are the ones who wake early to spend time in prayer for others; those who give time and effort to help those in need – sometimes at great cost to themselves; those who have put aside the mantle of worldly greatness to take the gospel to a far corner of this earth; those who put their immediate needs aside to meet the needs of those around them. There are many opportunities to serve. If we have the right heart and the right outlook, we will not only see the opportunities, we will do something about it.

Pray about it:

“Father, I want to have the right heart and mind to be a part of Your kingdom. I want to help others and I need help to do that with the right mindset. I am thankful You can place in me the right situations, so I can turn around and serve others to make an impact for You in their lives. Help me to put aside selfish ambition. Give me the heart and mind of a servant. Amen.”

Act on it:

• Look around you this week and see where you can start serving. Your church can always use volunteers. There are neighbors around you that could probably use some kind of help. There are organizations that would also appreciate an extra pair of hands. Ask God to open your eyes to the needs of others and ask for Him to give you a heart to serve. If you are struggling with your attitude, serve anyway and see what joy can come when you focus on helping others.

Parenting Tips:

• Brainstorm with your child this week on ways to help those around you. Start off by doing this with them. It may be something like pulling weeds for a sick or elderly neighbor. It might be volunteering with older children to work for a food bank.