The attitude we choose to have makes all the difference. We either make the choice based on how we feel, or we make the choice based on what we think. Actually, it's usually a mixture, but one or the other predominates. There is nothing wrong with feelings, they are very important.
For many of us, we make choices based on how we feel because we give so much authority and credibility to our feelings. Following our feelings will lead us to a very selfish attitude. But when we choose a good attitude of service, no matter how we feel, we'll be doing the right thing, and our feelings will probably change in accordance!
I write this as an important reminder to myself. Maybe you needed the reminder as well. Here are some other thoughts that I needed to read again.
Service starts in your mind.
Servants think more about others than about themselves.
This is true humility: not thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less. Unfortunately, a lot of service is self-serving. We serve to get others to like us, to be admired, or to achieve our own goals. That is manipulation, not ministry. The whole time we're really thinking about ourselves and how noble and wonderful we are.
Thinking like a servant is difficult because it challenges the basic problem of my life: I am, by nature, selfish. I think most about me. That's why humility is a daily struggle, a lesson I must relearn over and over. The opportunity to be a servant confronts me dozens of times a day, in which I'm given the choice to decide between meeting my needs or the needs of others.
Servants think like stewards, not owners.
Servants remember that God owns it all. Servanthood and stewardship go together, since God expects us to be trustworthy in both.
To become a real servant you are going to have to settle the issue of money in your life. Jesus said, "No servant can serve two masters.... You cannot serve both God and Money." Money has the greatest potential to replace God in your life. When Jesus is your Master, money serves you, but if money is your master, you become its slave. Servants of God are always more concerned about ministry than money. How you manage your money affects how much God can bless your life.
Servants think about their work, now what others are doing.
They don't compare, criticize, or compete with other servants or ministries. They're too busy doing the work God has given them. Paul said, "We will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original."
If you serve like Jesus, you can expect to be criticized. The world, and even much of the church, does not understand what God values. Your service for Christ is never wasted regardless of what others say.
Servants base their identity in Christ.
Because they remember they are loved and accepted by grace, servants don't have to prove their worth. They willingly accept jobs that insecure would consider "beneath" them. If you are going to be a servant, you must settle your identity in Christ. Only secure people can serve.
Insecure people are always worrying about how they appear to others. They fear exposure of their weaknesses and hide beneath layers of protective pride and pretensions. The more insecure you are, the more you will want people to serve you, and the more you will need their approval.
When you base your worth and identity on your relationship to Christ, you are freed from the expectations of others, and that allows you to really serve them best. The closer you get to Jesus, the less you need to promote yourself.
Servants think of ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation.
They enjoy helping people, meeting needs, and doing ministry. They "serve the LORD with gladness." Why do they serve with gladness? Because they love the Lord, they're grateful for his grace, they know serving is the highest use of life, and they know God has promised a reward.
Albert Schweitzer said, "The only really happy people are those who have learned how to serve."
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