To Serve or Be Served?

“’Get out of here, Satan,’ Jesus told him. ‘For the Scriptures say, “You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.”’” (Matthew 4:10 NLT)

Serving God takes many forms and can at times create a very thin line between serving and being served. There are three words in Greek that can be translated “serve,” but they have different shades of meaning. The word translated “serve” in the verse above is a different word than is commonly used in the New Testament that we typically translate “serve.”

It can have reference to someone who is hired for a menial task, essentially, something no one else would want to do. But it can also refer to someone who ministers “either to the gods or men and is used alike of slaves and freemen.” (Strong’s) This can include priests and those who work “to discharge the sacred office.”

In some ways it can refer to what we call Pastors or preachers. When I first shared my call to ministry with my Mentor he said to me: “If you can do anything else, do it!” That, of course, can be understood in different ways, but I understood exactly what he meant. If I’m not compelled by the Spirit insomuch as He eliminates all other options, I should do something else.

Over the years I’ve met Pastors who had grown to believe they were a lot more than they really were. They had the mistaken idea that the people of the church were there to serve them, not the other way around. That’s not only blasphemous, it’s unhealthy for people of God to be subjected to that kind of leader. It begs the question that Tim Keller asked: “Did you get into the Christian faith to serve God or for God to serve you?” 

But sadly, it goes further than just Pastors. Some folks come to the Lord because they believe they then have the proverbial “Aladdin’s Lamp.” Just rub the lamp and out jumps Jesus ready to do their bidding. “Okay Lord, I need a new job. I want minimally 20% more than I’m making now, plus I want better insurance and a car as part of my benefits package.” Or “Lord, the doctor tells me I need heart surgery. That’s going to be a hassle and it’s going to cripple my social calendar. I need You to heal me now, so I don’t have to go through all of that.”

In short, we make a sham of prayer and faith in Christ. We get the roles reversed believing Christ is our slave, not we His. It reminds me of the old Bob Dylan song, the first verse of which says: “You may be an ambassador to England or France; You may like to gamble, you might like to dance; You may be the heavyweight champion of the world; You might be a socialite with a long string of pearls; But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed, You’re gonna have to serve somebody. Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord, But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.”

As a Jesus follower the sooner we get the pecking order right – that Jesus is Lord and He alone deserves our worship, adoration, praise and service, the sooner we’ll find fulfillment in being His humble servant. I have no greater privilege than to be my Savior’s slave, not only in this life, but throughout eternity. How about you? Who are you serving?

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊