Chapter 40 The Thirty-Fourth Day of the Servant's Mind

The Thirty-Fourth Day of the Servant's Mind My servant Caleb has a different mind than the others, He followed me wholeheartedly. (Numbers 14:24, NCV) You should take the mind of Christ as your mind. (Philippians 2:5, Msg) Ministry begins with your mind. Being a servant requires a change in mentality and a change in attitude.God cares more about why we do than what we do; attitude is more important than achievement.King Amaziah lost God's favor because "he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not from the heart", A true servant has five right attitudes in mind.

Servants think more of others than of themselves Servants focus on others, not themselves.True humility is not to underestimate oneself, but to think less of oneself, they forget themselves.Paul said, "In spite of self, reach out to others." This is what it means to "abandon your life", that is, to forget yourself while serving others.When we stop paying attention to our own needs, we pay attention to those around us. Jesus "emptied himself and took the form of a slave".When was the last time you emptied yourself for someone else's good?Self-centered people cannot be servants, and unless we forget ourselves, what we do is not worth remembering.

Unfortunately, many of our services are for personal gain; we use our service to please others, gain their appreciation, and achieve our personal goals.This is manipulation, not ministry.All we think about is how noble and beautiful we are.Some use service as a bargaining tool with God: "God, if you will do this for me, I will do that for you." True servants do not try to use God for their own ends.They let God use them for His purposes. Selflessness, like loyalty, is a rare trait.Of the many people Paul knew, Timothy was unique.Engaging in a servant's mind is difficult because it challenges the fundamental problem of our human lives—that we are selfish by nature.Most of us think about ourselves.This is why humility is a daily struggle, a lesson we learn over and over again.Every day I am faced with countless opportunities to be a servant. I have to choose between meeting my own needs or meeting the needs of others.Self-sacrifice is at the heart of the servant spirit.

How we respond when people treat us like servants can test whether we have the heart of a servant.How do you react when people take your service for granted, order you, and treat you like a subordinate?The Bible says, "If someone is taking advantage of you unreasonably, use this opportunity to practice your servant life." Servants think like stewards, not masters The servant remembers that God owns everything.In the Bible, a steward is a servant who manages an estate for a master.Joseph was such a servant when he was imprisoned in Egypt.Potiphar handed over all family affairs to him, the warden gave him the management of the prison, and finally even the pharaoh handed over the entire country to him.Servants and stewards are one, and God wants us to be trustworthy in both.The Bible says, "Loyalty is what a master requires of a steward." How do you handle the resources God has entrusted to you?

As a true servant, you must first deal with the place of money in your life.Jesus said, "One servant cannot serve two masters...you cannot serve God and money." Jesus didn't say "you shouldn't," but "you couldn't," it just wasn't possible .Living for money and living for ministry are mutually exclusive goals. Which would you choose?If you are a servant of God, you cannot live for yourself at the same time.All our time is His; God wants our whole-hearted devotion, not part-time devotion! Wealth is most likely to take the place of God in our lives, and the worship of material things more than anything else can lead us astray.Many people say, "When I reach my financial goals, I'm going to serve God." It's a stupid decision they'll regret forever.When Jesus is your master, money is our slave; but when money is our master, we become its slave.Wealth is not a sin in itself, but it is a sin not to use it for the glory of God.A servant of God should always put service first, not money.The Bible makes it clear that God tests the faithfulness of his servants with money.This is why Jesus talked more about money than about heaven and hell.Jesus said, "If you have been unfaithful with your worldly riches, who will trust you with the real riches?"

How you manage your money affects God's blessings for you. In Chapter 31, I mentioned two kinds of people: "Kingdom Builders" and "Wealth Builders," both of whom have a talent for developing careers, doing business, and making profits.Wealth builders just accumulate wealth for themselves endlessly, but kingdom builders change the rules of the game, they still work hard to make money, but they give what they earn.They use their wealth to support the Church of God and missionary work around the world. At Saddleback Church, we have a small group consisting of company CEOs and business owners who try to make as much money as possible and give as much as possible so that they can expand the kingdom of God as much as possible.I encourage you to talk to your pastor to start a kingdom builder group in your church.See Appendix 2.

Servants focus on their own work instead of watching what others are doing They don't compare, criticize or compete with others because they are buried in the work God has given them.It is unreasonable for God's servants to compete with each other because we are on a team whose goal is to glorify God, not ourselves.Paul said, "We should not compare each other as if one is better than the other. We have more interesting things to do in life than that. Each of us is an original and authentic product." There is no room for jealousy among God's servants. When everyone is busy serving, there is no time for criticism.All the time spent criticizing others should be spent doing ministry.Martha had lost the heart of her servant when she complained that Mary was not helping her.A true servant does not complain about being treated unfairly, wallow in self-pity, or resent someone for not serving.They depended only on God to continue serving.

It is not our job to judge other servants of the Lord.The Bible says, "Who are you to judge another man's servant? God will judge whether His servant is worthy." Nor is it our job to defend ourselves when we are criticized.Let your master handle it, follow the example of Moses, who showed genuine humility in the face of opposition, and Nehemiah, whose response to criticism was simple: "I am doing very important work and cannot come to you go there." If you serve like Jesus, you will be criticized.The world, and even many churches, do not understand what matters to God.One of the most beautiful acts of love expressed to Jesus was criticized by the disciples: when Mary poured her most precious ointment on Jesus, the disciples criticized her as a "waste", but Jesus called it a "beautiful thing", This is the most important.No matter what anyone says, your service to Christ will not be in vain.

Servantship is Founded in Christ Servants do not need to prove their worth because they know they are loved and accepted by grace.They are willing to do menial jobs that are "degrading" to insecure people.One of the most significant examples is when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.The job of washing feet is equivalent to the job of a shoe shine boy, but because he knows his identity, he is not afraid of self-destructive image, so he does humble service.The Bible says, "Jesus knew that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God...so he got up from the table, took off his clothes, and wrapped a towel around his loins."

To be a servant is to recognize our identity in Christ.Only those who have a sense of security can serve, and those who are insecure are always worried about what others think of them.Afraid of exposing their weaknesses, they hide themselves under layers of pride and pretense.The more insecure you are, the more you need people to serve you, the more you need the approval of others. Lu Yun said: "To serve others, we must first die to them, that is, give up measuring our own meaning and value by other people's standards... In this way, we can be considerate and merciful to others without restraint." When your identity and values ​​are based on your relationship with Christ, you free yourself from what other people expect of you and enable you to serve your best.

Servants don't have to hang plaques and awards on the walls to prove their ability to work, they don't have to insist on a certain title, and they don't need to wrap themselves in robes of superiority.Status symbols mean nothing to them, and they don't need to measure their worth in terms of achievements.Paul said, "You can flatter yourself, but the only approval that counts is the approval of the Lord." James is Jesus' half-brother, and he can boast of his relationship with Jesus, whom he grew up with.But James, in his letter to the church, calls himself "a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ."The closer our relationship with Jesus is, the less we need to promote ourselves. Servants Treat Ministry as an Opportunity, Not an Obligation Servants love to help others, to meet the needs of others, and to serve. "They serve God with joy and joy."Why are they happy to serve God?Because they love the Lord and are grateful, they know that serving is the best way to use their life, and they also know that God will have rich rewards.Jesus once promised: "The Father will respect and reward those who serve." Paul said: "He will not forget the work and love you have done for him, which is shown by your continuous help to other believers." .” Imagine how wonderful it would be if one tenth of the Christians in the world were faithful servants of the Lord.Are you willing to join the ranks?No matter what age you are, God will use you if you are willing to start acting and thinking like a servant.Albert Schweitzer said, "The truly happy people in the world are those who have learned to serve."