(Jesus said) “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. – Matthew 20:26-28 (NIV)

Reflect
Do you remember the WWJD bracelets? WWJD stands for What Would Jesus Do?
Unfortunately, just wearing a bracelet doesn’t mean I actually do what it says. Following Jesus, imitating him is hard for many reasons. For one, Jesus is perfect, while we are broken sinners, and we always move towards selfishness. In addition, it can be hard to know what Jesus would actually do if he were in our situation.

But Jesus’ words to his disciples can lead us in the right direction. Jesus said that we are to be servants to others, just as he lived a life of service to all by giving up his life.

What does that look like for us today? Maybe that means giving a little more grace to your spouse or your children in the midst of this Covid 19 “stay at home” time. Maybe you see a need in our community that is not being met and do something about it. When you live a life of service, you are letting your light shine so that people might see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Oddly enough when we try to imitate Jesus, we tend to see how far short we fall from his example. That is why Jesus came to be more than just a good example. He came to be our substitute. He came to give his life as a ransom for our sins. Knowing that our sins of self-service are forgiven allows us a fresh start every day. Not only will this be a blessing to those we are called to serve, but you will discover a joy and fulfillment that serving yourself could never bring.

Pray
Lord Jesus, thank you for serving me by giving your life. Lead me to give my life in service towards others. Amen.