A Servant's Mindset

Jesus is the perfect servant. It is in his very essence to be a servant. He doesn’t have to try to be a servant, that is just who he is. Despite the fact that he is the sovereign Lord and technically doesn’t ever have to serve anyone, he is always serving. While on earth, Jesus taught, listened, fed, healed, delivered, discipled, washed feet, shared the Gospel, showed compassion, touched hearts, and met practical needs of all different kinds of people.  There would be times when crowds would rush to him and he would serve people all day while pushing through exhaustion.  He set aside his rights, comforts, time and energy to do so. Then, he served everyone in ways that are beyond comprehension when he volunteered to die on the cross. In doing so, he set aside his very life and volunteered to step into unimaginable suffering to serve all people. Now, he invites all of us into a relationship with him where we can receive his service every day through his listening, guiding, healing, delivering, equipping, sanctifying, empowering, protecting, providing, teaching, revealing, loving, forgiving, encouraging, communing, sustaining and more. It is truly amazing to be in a relationship with the God of the Universe and to experience him humbly serving us every day even though we don't deserve it. While this is a great honor and privilege to receive his service, we shouldn't stop there. That's because we are also called to emulate it. Philippians 2:3-8 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”  So, as you look at Jesus’ servant mindset and then look at your mindset, how do they compare? How servant-focused are you? Most of us likely feel a chasm in between where we are and where “the mindset of Christ Jesus” is. The crazy thing is that, what we see in this passage is that God wants us to close that chasm and have the same servant mindset as Christ Jesus. So, how can we begin to develop that? First, we can learn to identify and deconstruct one of the most common mindsets in our world that will oppose and hinder us from developing the same servant mindset of Christ Jesus: “The Me-First Mindset.” Then, we can partner with God using biblical principles to begin to construct a servant mindset like Jesus has. When we have a servant mindset, that will lead us into a servant lifestyle. In order to do so, let’s start by looking at the lives of Jose and Mateo.

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A Parable of Jose and Mateo

Jose is a perfect example of what it means to live a life of service.  He is regularly helping the neighbors with their yard, house projects, car problems, financial troubles, listening to people vent, praying for people and volunteering at a local homeless shelter. At home, he sacrifices his time and energy to care for his son, Mateo. Jose wakes up early to make him breakfast, comforts him when he is scared, and helps him with his homework. Jose listens to his concerns, offers gentle guidance, and loves him unconditionally, no matter how many times he messes up. When Mateo is sick, Jose stays up all night, tending to him. Jose serves his son because he loves him. Not only does Jose serve Mateo in practical ways, but he also teaches him that he was made to serve others; “Serving is in our spiritual DNA,” he tells Mateo, “It's what you were made to do. A self-serving life is an inverted life.” Jose regularly tells him about the joy in serving and that, “It’s better to give than to receive.” Jose encourages him to volunteer in their neighborhood, help his classmates, and show kindness to the people around him. Jose models humility, always considering the needs of others above his own.

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Mateo: A Me-First Mindset

Mateo enjoys all the comfort and care his father provides. He trusts in his father’s love and relishes being served. However, when it comes to serving others, Mateo is not as receptive. He listens to his father’s lessons about serving others, but they often go in one ear and out the other. His focus is primarily on himself—his own comfort, his own desires, and his own needs. He neglects his chores, plays lots of video games and spends the rest of his free time trying to build up his image on social media. When he hears messages from his peers and the world around him that encourage him to primarily look out for number one, he likes the way that sounds more. Though Mateo appreciates his father’s service, he has little interest in emulating it. He takes his father’s love for granted, believing it will always be there to provide for him. And while he knows the importance of serving others, he isn’t motivated to put it into practice, as he enjoys living for himself.

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The Tragic Turning Point

One day, Mateo was skateboarding in the driveway with headphones in when he decides to break his dad’s rule: “Don’t play in the street.” At first, he is enjoying the thrill of going beyond the boundaries his father set. Then, he tries doing a trick on his skateboard, ends up falling and twisting his ankle. Distracted by the headphones, and immobilized by his injury, he doesn’t notice the speeding car racing toward him. Jose, hearing the commotion, rushes outside. He sees the danger and begins running towards Mateo, but in his oblivion, Mateo doesn’t notice him approaching. The car is so close now that by the time Mateo finally notices it, he freezes in fear. In an instant, Jose throws himself in front of Mateo, pulling him out of harm’s way. Jose is hit by the car and dies shortly after.

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Heart Changing Revelations

In the months that follow, Mateo is consumed with grief. As time goes by, he processes not only the grief of his father’s death, but the beauty of his life and sacrifice.  Mateo deeply contemplates his own self-consumption and how he didn’t deserve all of the grace he was given.  However, despite that, his father loved him unconditionally, served him and gave up his life. He feels not just sorrow, but appreciation, love, humility and conviction. His heart begins to soften, and he starts to reconsider his priorities. Mateo knows he cannot earn or pay back his father’s love because it was unconditional, but he feels motivated towards action. Mateo realizes how much his father laid aside for his benefit.  Moved by his father’s sacrifice for him, Mateo makes a decision to lay his comfort, pleasures and plans aside so he can pass on all that he received. So, he begins to take notice of the people around him more—their needs, their wants, their interests.  He begins to jump into small and big opportunities to help people. In honor of his father, he makes a decision to adopt a servant mentality for the rest of his life.

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The Parallel for Us As God’s Children

This story mirrors many of our own journeys as Christians. Like Mateo, we’ve received the abundant service of God—His love, His provision, His grace—often without fully appreciating it. We hear God’s call to serve others, but, like Mateo, it goes in one ear and out the other. We get caught up in our own comfort, desires, and distractions. But just as Mateo was changed by meditating on his father’s sacrifice, and all of the undeserved blessings he received from his father, we too can be moved into action by internalizing and personalizing the overwhelming sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus served us in ways that are incomprehensible when he laid down his rights, comfort, and ultimately his life so that we could be saved. We cannot pay that back and cannot earn favor with God.  However, since we have received so much, we are invited to lay down our lives for the benefit of others. So, how do we shift from Mateo’s me-first mindset and adopt the same servant-mindset of Christ Jesus that we read about in Philippians 2:3-8?  First, we need to identify if a me-first mindset has crept into our life and then deconstruct it.

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Identifying a Me-First Mindset

The "Me-First Mindset" is pervasive in our world. It’s a mindset that focuses on personal gain, comfort, and security, sometimes at the expense of others. It’s easy to slip into this way of thinking, and we may not even realize when it’s taken root in our hearts. Here are a few signs that we might be adopting a me-first mindset:

• You allow Jesus to humbly serve you, but choose to not serve others like he does
  
• You consider yourself to be more important than others
  
• You primarily take an interest in your needs and wants without investing in other people’s needs and wants
  
• You are not willing to lay aside your rights, status, time, plans, energy, security, safety, comfort or control to step into servanthood like Jesus
  
• You refuse to serve people that are different than you
  
• You refuse to serve people in opposition to you
  
• You refuse to step into a needed service that is “beneath you” or too humiliating
  
  

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Deconstructing a Me-First Mindset

Once you have identified a me-first mindset in your life, then you can take the following steps to begin renewing your mind to develop a servant-mindset.

• Confess and Repent: If the Holy Spirit has convicted you of being overly self-focused to the point of neglecting to live a servant-lifestyle like Jesus, draw near to God, confess and repent of that. Ask Him to purify your heart and renew your mind in this area.
  
• Gratitude Meditations Lead to Servant Aspirations: Invite the Holy Spirit to give you deeper and wider revelation of Jesus’ servant-hearted life and death with an understanding of how you have personally benefitted from his service. When that gets internalized and personalized, it can be heart changing. Regularly thank Jesus for all he has done for you so that you can remain filled with an appreciation for all of his gracious and sacrificial service towards you.  Let that gratitude for what you’ve received lead you to give yourself in service to God. “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him” (Romans 12:1).
  
• Ask Tough Questions: Ask yourself, “When I consider living a servant lifestyle like Jesus, what am I afraid I will have to endure or let go of?” Whatever answers come into your mind are likely things you are holding onto that are hindering you from stepping into a servant lifestyle. Some examples of things you may hesitate to relinquish are your rights, status, time, plans, energy, security, safety, comfort or control.
  
• Lay Hinderances Aside: As you ponder all that Jesus laid aside for you and all you received because of it, ask yourself, “Am I willing to lay these things aside I have been holding onto so I can follow Jesus’ calling to be a servant?” If you answer, “Yes,” then choose to lay those things aside daily.
  
• Look for Serving Opportunities: Begin to notice and pay attention to the people around you along with their interests, wants and needs. Look for opportunities to serve the people you cross paths with and jump in. For more consistent, structured, scheduled serving opportunities, volunteer at church or other organizations so that you can get into a routine of serving.

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Final Thoughts

As Christians, we will read about Jesus’ model of service and his calling for us to follow suit. At the same time, we will receive many competing messages from the world attempting pull us into a life that is overly focused on self.  As we meditate on what Jesus laid down, what he went through on the cross and what we gained from it, we too can begin to emulate Him and lay down our lives for the people around us though serving. So, in what ways do you resonate with Mateo in the story?  How can meditating on all of the ways God has served you in your life—especially through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross—help move your heart towards a lifestyle of serving others? Let’s begin prayerfully meditating on that daily and choose to step into serving opportunities for the people around us. “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16).