A recent television commercial for Dr Pepper had a young man doing a number of things for his girl-friend up to the point where she sat down and reached for his can of soda.  It was at this point he drew the line and they immediately parted company.  With that in mind let me ask, what will you do for someone you love?  Your list is likely to be extensive I’m sure, but there are still a few things that will not make the list. 

Let us now consider the love God has for us.  We know of His love by His actions.  The apostle Paul shares with us this understanding in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (NAS)  In His own words Jesus tells His disciples, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matt 20:28)  Jesus had been approached by James and John asking for positions of honor at His right and left hands when He came into His glory and His response to them was that if they wished to be great they must become servants.  Our study last week on Jesus’ command to love one another brings us to the conclusion that we will not serve those whom we do not love.  Therefore, we begin by loving and then allowing ourselves to serve one another.  It is in imitation of Jesus, as a disciple becoming like the teacher. 

To truly serve as Jesus did, we must first acknowledge Him as the greatest servant of all.  In the hours before His crucifixion, we find Jesus stripped down to the waist and at the feet of His disciples, washing them like a common household servant.  He tells them He has left them an example to follow clearly showing His desire that we too would be servants.  This will be easier if we have a servant’s attitude (Phil 2:1-8).  Only then will we be able to act on Jesus’ desire for us to become those who “serve one another.”

Copyright © 2007, Nolan P. Rutter