A True Servant’s Heart

Do you ever see something that needs doing, and think, “That’s not my job, someone else can do that.”?
Often in work we have to do this, to separate out our own jobs so that we can focus, otherwise we’d never get our own responsibilities done. And often in normal life there are people paid to do certain jobs, and we need to leave it to them – like taking the dishes back to the kitchen in a restaurant for example!
But what about when we’re at home, or we’re serving in an area in church, and this happens?
This morning my son was doing his daily chore of washing up the breakfast dishes and complained to me about a puddle of tea on the counter. I said to him, “Well you can just wipe it up, you know – the cloth is right there.” To which he replied, “Wipe it UP?????” as if I’d asked him to jump off a cliff or something!!
He was obviously thinking, “But that’s not my job!” – which is how many of us would react inwardly in that situation!
That’s why I loved it when I read this morning about the duties of the Levites who served God in the temple in Israel – and it says they did “whatever needed to be done.”
David arranged for Asaph and his fellow Levites to serve regularly before the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, doing whatever needed to be done each day. 1 Chronicles 16:37 (NLT)
I think as Christians that should be our work ethic when we’re serving God – to do whatever needs to be done.
If you own a company you are likely to do whatever needs to be done, including cleaning toilets, in order to make sure it makes a profit.
If we are part of a church, I think we should take the attitude that we’ll do whatever needs to be done for God to be glorified, just like the Levites did in the temple.
So if we’re serving in the worship team that day and see a mess that needs to be spilled and have a few spare minutes, we should go clean it up. We should be willing to go and serve in the toilet cleaning ministry if that is where we’re most needed!
In 1 Chronicles 23 it goes into more detail of what the Levites’ duties entailed at the temple. Some were full-time musicians which must have been fun.  Some were gatekeepers – that’s all they did. I know I’d rather be a musician!
But the choir director said:  ‘I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.” Psalm 84:10 (NLT)
I was trying to teach my kids about serving the other day and how important it is, and this verse came to mind:
But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26-28

That is a true servant’s heart – to be like Jesus and be the servant of others, and to do whatever needs to be done, like the Levites, in order that God might be glorified. 

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1 Response

  1. Anonymous says:

    I thing that pleasing God in our life are that be tnankful
    and obey his the word in quard of the Holy Spirit and do not worry and make not bad choose or not dougbt Gods the word and God love our cheeful mind and hearts and he will bles us in Jesus name ,thanks and bless,keijo sweden