The oldest sin is pride,
vanity, stubbornness and exclusion.
What is a life of servanthood?
1). Ministry of mundane.
2). Ministry of being
interrupted.
3). Knowledge our own
weaknesses and limitations.
4). Ministry of holding our
tongue.
5). ministry of bearing.
This week’s Sunday school,
really open my eyes for the meaning of servanthood, before I always like to
think servanthood involved in whole bunch of actions plus a willing heart.
And all that also entail a
humble heart, put down your pride, vanity, stubbornness and exclusion.
Servanthood is not necessary
be a huge work, it could be only a hug or a prayer or a listening ear or not be
judgmental or accountable for each other or ready to be interrupted. Here the
ministry of being interrupted, is you should be prepared to be interrupted in
certain condition, for example, to serve your parent in need, when you are busy
chatting with friends and so forth.
Knowing your weakness and
limitations are crucial too for the servanthood, you cannot just say yes for
every single service that you happen to know. Most of the cases, we need a
group of people to serve together, take turns of cover for each other, that’s a
servanthood also.
Imitating Christ’s
Humility
1 Therefore if
you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from
his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any
tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my
joy complete by being
like-minded, having the
same love, being one in spirit and
of one mind. 3 Do nothing out
of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in
humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to
your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another,
have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who,
being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something
to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Do Everything without
Grumbling
12 Therefore, my
dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much
more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God
who works in you to will and
to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. 14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you
may become blameless and pure,
“children of God without fault
in a warped and crooked generation.”[c] Then you will
shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold
firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of
Christ that I did not run or labor in
vain. 17 But even if I
am being poured out like a drink offering on the
sacrifice and service
coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too
should be glad and rejoice with me.
Timothy and
Epaphroditus
19 I hope in the
Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also
may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I have no one
else like him, who will show
genuine concern for your welfare. 21 For everyone
looks out for their own interests, not those of
Jesus Christ. 22 But you know
that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served
with me in the work of the gospel. 23 I hope,
therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 24 And I am
confident in the Lord
that I myself will come soon. 25 But I think
it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow
soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you
sent to take care of my needs. 26 For he longs
for all of you and is
distressed because you heard he was ill. 27 Indeed he was
ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on
me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I
am all the more eager to send him, so that when
you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. 29 So then,
welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, 30 because he
almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help
you yourselves could not give me.
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