His Servant and Yours
I don’t know who said it first. All that I do know is that I did not come up with it. Sometime within the past couple of years I was listening to a preacher who commented that someone he knew concluded his letters with the phrase, “His servant and yours,”. As soon as I heard that I knew that’s the way I wanted to end my correspondence.
The phrase denotes two things in particular. First, it indicates that we are in service to the Master. Second, it shows the need to follow our Lord in service to others as well (John 13; Luke 10:29ff). What does serving the Lord and serving others look like?
How to Serve Your Master
When someone is in charge of your wellbeing, you tend to do what you can to ensure their happiness with your performance. At work you look to your boss. At school you follow your teacher’s guidelines. In life you should obey the law. As a Christian how do we make God happy? We please Him by serving Him.
Consider two options. You can marry someone who loves you and would do anything for you, versus marrying someone who you pay to be your spouse. One is your spouse because they are getting something out of it, the other is your spouse because they don’t want to live without you. Which one would be a better mate? Of course the one who wants to be with you of their own accord.
Who makes the better servant? The person who serves the master out of constraint, getting something out of it, or the one who freely serves? It is of course the latter. God wants willing servants in His kingdom. Paul was one such willing servant, who wrote, “I thank him that enabled me, even Christ Jesus our Lord, for that he counted me faithful, appointing me to His service.”
One of the greatest examples of willing service comes from the Old Testament in Exodus 21. The law was given that a Hebrew servant would be set free on the 7th year. If the servant has gained anything (even family) from his master, he can leave, but he must leave everything he gained. Look at what Exodus 21:5-6 say,”
But if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: then his master shall bring him unto God, and shall bring him to the door, or unto the door-post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever.
God wants a willing servant. A willing servant is much more fruitful than any other. He or she will follow the masters will and love him for it (1 John 5:3). He or she will meditate on His word (Psa. 1:2). He or she will serve him all the days of their life (Psa. 27:4).
How to Serve Others
What does it look like to serve others? Is it the same as serving God? No. It just doesn’t have the same intent or authority. We follow the Lord and serve Him according to His will. When we serve our fellowman we do it to glorify God. True we should esteem others higher than ourselves (Phil. 2:3) and remember that we put others before ourselves (Mark 9:35; Phil. 2:4; Gal. 5:13), but we need to do this for the glory of God.
Matthew 5:16 says, “Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Seeing this verse we need to make sure that we are not serving ourselves (taking glory for ourselves) by serving others, but that we give God the glory. Our motivation should be the giving of ourselves (Acts 20:35) to other people to supply their needs; all of the while knowing that our Lord came to serve (Matt. 20:28). If we wish to be like Jesus, then we need to serve others. Jesus washed the feet of the disciples (John 13) to show them (and us) that we ought to serve one another.
His servant and yours,
Matt McBrayer