The Purpose Driven Life, Chapter Thirty Three
How Real Servants Act
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We serve God by serving others. God determines your greatness by how many people you serve, not how many people serve you.
While knowing your shape is important for serving God, having the heart of a servant is even more important. Remember, God shaped you for service, not for self-centeredness.
God often tests our hearts by asking us to serve in ways we're not shaped. While you may not be gifted for a particular task, you may be called to do it if no one gifted at it is around. Your primary ministry should be in the area of your shape, but your secondary service is wherever you're needed at the moment.
Your shape reveals your ministry, but your servant's heart will reveal your maturity. Anyone can be a servant...all it requires is character.
Real servants make themselves available to serve. Servants don't fill up their time with other pursuits that could limit their availability. They want to be ready to jump into service when called on. Real servants do what's needed, even when it's inconvenient. As a servant, you don't get to pick and choose when or where you will serve. Being a servant means giving up the right to control your schedule and allowing God to interrupt it whenever he needs to.
Real servants pay attention to needs. Servants are always on the lookout for ways to help others. When they see a need, they seize the moment to meet it. When God puts someone in need right in front of you, he is giving you the opportunity to grow in servanthood. The needs of your church family are to be given preference, not put at the bottom of your "things to do" list. We miss many occasions for serving because we lack sensitivity and spontaneity.
John Wesley was an incredible servant of God. His motto was "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can."
Real servants do their best with what they have. Servants don't make excuses, procrastinate, or wait for better circumstances. They just do what needs to be done. God expects you to do what you can, with what you have, wherever you can.
Real servants do every task with equal dedication. Whatever they do, servants do it with all their heart. The size of the task is irrelevant. The only issue is, does it need to be done? God will never exempt you from the mundane. Small tasks often show a big heart. Your servant's heart is revealed in little acts that others don't think of doing. No task is beneath you when you have a servant's heart. Great opportunities often disguise themselves in small tasks. The little things in life determine the big things.
The race to be a leader is crowded, but the field is wide open for those willing to be servants. Sometimes you serve upward to those in authority, and sometimes you serve downward to those in need. Either way, you develop a servant's heart when you're willing to do anything needed.
Real servants are faithful to their ministry. Servants finish their tasks, fulfill their responsibilities, keep their promises, and complete their commitments. They don't leave a job half undone, and they don't quit when they get discouraged. They are trustworthy and dependable.
Faithfulness has always been a rare quality. Most people don't know the meaning of commitment. They make commitments casually, then break them for the slightest reason without any hesitation, remorse or regret.
By the way, faithful servants never retire. They serve faithfully as long as they're alive. You can retire from your career, but you will never retire from serving God.
Real servants maintain a low profile. Servants don't promote or call attention to themselves. Instead of acting to impress and dressing for success, they put on the apron of humility, to serve one another. If recognized for their service, they humbly accept it but don't allow notoriety to distract them from their work.
Real servants don't serve for the approval or applause of others. They live for an audience of One.
In heaven, God is going to openly reward some of His most obscure and unknown servants--people we have never heard of on earth.
While knowing your shape is important for serving God, having the heart of a servant is even more important. Remember, God shaped you for service, not for self-centeredness.
God often tests our hearts by asking us to serve in ways we're not shaped. While you may not be gifted for a particular task, you may be called to do it if no one gifted at it is around. Your primary ministry should be in the area of your shape, but your secondary service is wherever you're needed at the moment.
Your shape reveals your ministry, but your servant's heart will reveal your maturity. Anyone can be a servant...all it requires is character.
Real servants make themselves available to serve. Servants don't fill up their time with other pursuits that could limit their availability. They want to be ready to jump into service when called on. Real servants do what's needed, even when it's inconvenient. As a servant, you don't get to pick and choose when or where you will serve. Being a servant means giving up the right to control your schedule and allowing God to interrupt it whenever he needs to.
Real servants pay attention to needs. Servants are always on the lookout for ways to help others. When they see a need, they seize the moment to meet it. When God puts someone in need right in front of you, he is giving you the opportunity to grow in servanthood. The needs of your church family are to be given preference, not put at the bottom of your "things to do" list. We miss many occasions for serving because we lack sensitivity and spontaneity.
John Wesley was an incredible servant of God. His motto was "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can."
Real servants do their best with what they have. Servants don't make excuses, procrastinate, or wait for better circumstances. They just do what needs to be done. God expects you to do what you can, with what you have, wherever you can.
Real servants do every task with equal dedication. Whatever they do, servants do it with all their heart. The size of the task is irrelevant. The only issue is, does it need to be done? God will never exempt you from the mundane. Small tasks often show a big heart. Your servant's heart is revealed in little acts that others don't think of doing. No task is beneath you when you have a servant's heart. Great opportunities often disguise themselves in small tasks. The little things in life determine the big things.
The race to be a leader is crowded, but the field is wide open for those willing to be servants. Sometimes you serve upward to those in authority, and sometimes you serve downward to those in need. Either way, you develop a servant's heart when you're willing to do anything needed.
Real servants are faithful to their ministry. Servants finish their tasks, fulfill their responsibilities, keep their promises, and complete their commitments. They don't leave a job half undone, and they don't quit when they get discouraged. They are trustworthy and dependable.
Faithfulness has always been a rare quality. Most people don't know the meaning of commitment. They make commitments casually, then break them for the slightest reason without any hesitation, remorse or regret.
By the way, faithful servants never retire. They serve faithfully as long as they're alive. You can retire from your career, but you will never retire from serving God.
Real servants maintain a low profile. Servants don't promote or call attention to themselves. Instead of acting to impress and dressing for success, they put on the apron of humility, to serve one another. If recognized for their service, they humbly accept it but don't allow notoriety to distract them from their work.
Real servants don't serve for the approval or applause of others. They live for an audience of One.
In heaven, God is going to openly reward some of His most obscure and unknown servants--people we have never heard of on earth.