The Closer you get to Jesus-the less you need to promote yourself

Phillipians 2:7 -but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

The Closer you get to Jesus-the less you need to promote yourself

Numbers - But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.

Phillipians 2:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

In order to be like Christ we have to have A Servant’s Heart

To be a servant requires a mental shift, a change in OUR attitudes.  The Lord is always more interested in why we do something than in what we do.  Attitudes count more than achievements.  King Amaziah lost God’s favor because he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, yet not with a TRUE HEART.

II Chronicles 25:2 -He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly.

How to be a true servant of God:

Servants think more about others than about themselves.  Servants focus on others, not themselves.  This is true humility.  They are self-forgetful.  To be self-forgetful is what it means to lose your life.  Phillipians 2:4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (New King James version).

Focusing on the interests of others involves forgetting yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.  Forgetting yourself to be of service to others. 

Phillipians 2:7 -but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. (New King James version).

Kenosis-Christ emptied himself in order to be a servant.  When was the last time you emptied yourself in order to be a true servant of Christ?

Note:  You cannot have a servants heart if you are FULL OF YOURSELF!  It is only when we forget ourselves that we can do the things that deserve to be remembered.

Some reasons why we serve:  Sometimes our serving is all about self-serving.  We serve for our own glory.  

Such as:

·         To get others to like us

·         To be admired

·         To feel important

·         To achieve our own goals

·         To see what we can get out of it

This is MANIPULATION NOT MINISTRY.  

Sometimes we will even service God as a type of bargaining with him.  If I do this, I want this in return.  Real servants do try to use God for their purposes, they let God use them for HIS purposes.  BY THE WAY WHAT IS YOUR MOTIVE FOR COMING TO CHURCH—DO YOU HAVE A SERVANTS HEART FOR BEING AT CHURCH OR YOU ABOUT SELF-SERVING?

Why is so hard to think like a servant?  By nature we are SELFISH.  Self does not feel that it is cool to SERVE! It requires humiliation to serve others…and self  is proud not humble!  

Thought:  It was mentioned at a hugh church dinner, it is disrespectful to let the pastor fix his or her own plate because  he serves us spiritual food faithfully, which nourishes us in the Lord, so what is wrong with us that we cannot serve him  our natural food.

How often does the opportunity confront us to be a servant, and what a struggle to decide between meeting your needs or the needs of others. 

 Matthew 5:41

A Servant should think like a steward, not an Owner.

Servants remember that God owns it all.  In the Word of God Joseph was a servant entrusted to manage an estate.  Potiphar entrusted Joseph with his home.  Then the jailer entrusted Joseph with his jail.  Eventually Pharoah entrusted the entire nation to him.  Servanthood and stewardship go together. 

1 Cor 4:1 -¹Let a man so account us as the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.   How are you handling the resources that God has entrusted you with?  1 Cor 4:2-Moreover it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.

   

Phillipians 2:7 -but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.