Called to Serve

"How did you get lumbered with that?"

That was the way an acquaintance of mine reacted when faced with the news that I had volunteered to do a favour for someone. The acquaintance merely saw it as an inconvenience to me, whereas I saw it as an opportunity to serve, a chance to do something new. It's not necessary to tell you what the favour is - I'm not telling you this to get any glory for myself - but simply to ask you a question: Who is right?

You see, in the incident related in Matthew 23:8-12, Jesus faced up to a similar issue. Here he was talking about a group of Pharisees who spent their day basking in their own glory, in their own self-importance. He simply gave us another alternative, a life of humble servanthood. We are not called to pursue titles and positions that glorify ourselves. Rather, our attitude should be that of a servant.

Matthew 23:8-12 (New International Version)

“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

...and again...

Mark 9:33-35 (New International Version)

They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”