The life of Jesus was defined by love demonstrated by being a servant. When it came to being a servant to the Father and to people, Jesus showed no limits. Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give.” (Crazy Love, p. 74)
It is easy to end up justifying the limits we place on how much time, talent, money, and energy we expend in serving God and other people. We can even try to attempt to sound spiritual in the process. We do not think of ourselves as being lukewarm, we simply see ourselves as normal Christians living in the real world. The only problem is that is not the Bible’s description of normal.
In Matthew 20:20-28, the mother of James and John asks Jesus for a place of honor for her sons. When the other disciples end up hearing of the request they are angry with the two brothers. Jesus responds by defining greatness in the kingdom as being a servant. This definition of greatness flies in the face of everything our culture teaches us. We simply don’t aspire toward being a servant. We don’t encourage our children to grow up and become servants.
Every follower of Jesus ought to aspire toward greatness. Jesus defines greatness by our willingness to serve others. No limits, no ulterior motives, simply loving people with the love of Christ enough to serve them like Jesus. When it comes to serving others for the kingdom of God where are your limits?
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