In the past, we have talked about how God wants you to succeed in everything you do. He also wants us to be servants.

The word servant is mentioned in the bible at least 2337 times. Coincidence? I don’t think so. God knew that we would be reluctant to be a servant which is why he tried to pound it into your head. Over two thousand times!

What did Jesus mean when he said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all? Mark 9:35. He wasn’t saying that you shouldn’t try. He definitely wasn’t saying to give up and be last at everything you do. He was saying that you should be putting others in front of you. Making sure that they are taken care of before you take care of yourself.

Ever since I was a young child I can remember at family gatherings, there always seemed to be a fight for who would be the last one to go through the line to eat. Would it be grandpa, dad, my uncle, or my grandma? They were all waiting to make sure that everyone else made it through at least once before they would fill their plates. (Of course, there was always enough food, my family likes to be prepared to feed an army, or a couple of teenagers they seem to eat about the same amount of food. Lol).

The truth is that is not really, what Jesus meant. The real servant here were the ones helping everyone else get their plates filled. The ones who after dinner didn’t hesitate to fill the sink with water and start washing. Those are the real servants. They didn’t do it for the glory; they did it because it needed to be done. In addition, they did it without complaining, most of the time.

Being a servant doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to get down on your knees and scrub the floor. You can be a servant at any stage in life and in any position, you hold. Being a servant means that you put others first. You make sure that others are taken care of before you tend to yourself. Not only that but you help them when they need it.

As a parent, being a servant might be cooking dinner, washing clothes, or taking your kids to their activities. It also might be being quiet when your child is struggling so that they can learn how to problem solve on their own. It might be not giving direct orders but allowing them to fall so that they can learn. Of course, you will be there to help them get back up, dust off, and learn the lesson.

As a Christian being a servant means that you pray constantly. Pray for God to help show you how he needs you to serve him. We all serve in different ways. For me, one way I serve is by writing blogs and devotionals every week. I serve by having scriptures at the bottom of every webpage. By not being afraid to talk about God, no matter who am around. We all serve in different ways, and that is a GREAT thing.

There are many ways that you can be a servant. Take a few moments and think of ways for you be a servant today. What were they? How can you accomplish them today even better than you did yesterday? Do this exercise every day this week and see if it opens your eyes to just how you serve others.