LIVING RIGH-SIDE UP AS A SERVANT - by Brent Lokker

Jesus had a way of flipping just about everything upside down from the way the world wants to tell us things are. In a conversation with his disciples, he told them “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.” (Matthew 20:25-26, NLT)   Come on, you’re just not going to hear that in the “Young Entrepreneur’s Rise to Fame” seminar. Not even in the advanced course! Yet, Jesus not only said this is the way of his Father’s Kingdom, but he lived it!   “Jesus’ mission was not to prove his deity, but to embrace our humanity. Emptied of his reputation as God, he fully embraced our physical human form; born in our resemblance, he identified himself as the servant of the human race. His love enslaved him to us. The man Jesus Christ who is fully God, became fully man to the extent of willingly dying humanity’s death at the hands of his own creation. He embraced the curse and shame of the lowest kind in dying a criminal’s death.” Philippians 2:7-8 (Mirror)   He also demonstrated a life of serving others in remarkable ways: He made time for those whom others would ignore and walk past; He had great compassion on those others would judge; He kept no record of wrongs of those who betrayed him, even washing the feet of Judas who Jesus already knew would turn him in to begin the most undignified and unjust trial in all of human history that would lead to his gruesome death on a cross. Yet, instead of thinking of how wronged he was, he only thought of those whom his death would reconcile for eternity, once again serving us in perfect love: “Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his,  he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation,  and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God!” Hebrews 12:2 (TPT)   And now Jesus invites us into his realm of servanthood, one in which love rules the day: “Live happily together in a spirit of harmony and be as mindful of another’s worth as you are your own. Don’t live with a lofty mind-set, thinking you are too important to serve others, but be willing to do menial tasks and identify with those who are humble minded.  Don’t be smug or even think for a moment that you know it all. Never hold a grudge or try to get even but plan your life around the noblest way to benefit others. Do your best to live as everybody’s friend.” Romans 12:16-18 (TPT)   Don’t think of this as a try-harder-to-be-a-servant program. That will never work in a million years (we’ve all tried!). Instead, realize this has always been a ‘Christ in me, the hope of glory’ infusion and that his life through us expresses itself in these most beautiful, glorious ways when we yield to his Spirit leading the way. This is the abundant, fulfilling life Jesus promised us. It’s upside down from the world’s ways, but that’s actually because the world sees things upside down from heaven’s kingdom. You are living right side up with Jesus!   With Love,   Brent