I started a conversation last week about being a servant (you can catch up here).
Serving should be a two-way street. Contrary to the way that some people look at servant hood, being a servant is not the same thing as being a doormat. Consider two key verses —
- Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:4)
- Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:21)
We should look equally to others needs as well as our own needs. Zig Ziglar says it this way, “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.”
This can be manipulation… if you’re simply looking to someone else’s interests as a form of flattery or as a quid pro quo. But if you are truly serving — if you truly have the other person’s best interests in mind — if you are willing to submit to them out of reverence for Christ, serving can be liberating.
Last week Rick Warren tweeted, “The more self-centered I am, the more unsatisfied I’ll be.” I retweeted with this addition, “So the more I serve, the more satisfied I’ll be.” I believe that.
Try it for yourself… it works!
