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The spirit of humble service is one of the great themes of the Bible. Jesus said, “And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant” (Mat. 20:27). He also said, “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (23:12). Serving in humility has to do with our attitude and behavior both toward each other (Gal. 6:2) and toward God (1 Pet. 5:6). The Christ, who came not to be served, but to serve (Mat. 20:28), perfectly exemplified this spirit of service in humility (toward both God and men).
Perhaps there has never been an age in history when this noble spirit was in such short supply as it now seems to be, especially in our beloved nation. Our political freedoms have been misinterpreted by many as license to seek one’s own “rights” at whatever expense necessary to justice, honor, truth, and the rights of others. Our system of free enterprise allows greedy and arrogant people to run over anyone or any principle of honor that stands between them and their goals. Their common goal is to be served by as many and with as much as possible.
This ungodly attitude has fastened itself on the saints to an alarming degree. Congregations are sometimes torn asunder by petty grievances, selfish demands, or imagined slights that would have never been felt had humble service prevailed in brethren. Humility does not seek to be served, but to serve. Humble servants count it not a chore, but a privilege, to be busy for the Lord of glory and for the glory of the Lord.
Nor can the “me generation” tolerate the Gospel faithfully and plainly preached, which will always stir guilt in some, if not some guilt in all. Such introverted souls must constantly be coddled, soothed, praised, and made to feel good about themselves (even when they should feel bad about themselves). Bowing to this crass selfishness has led some congregations to take on the responsibilities of the home, the school, the health club, the restaurant, the psychology clinic, and many other things. At the same time that millions of dollars are being raised to fund such peripheral (at best) programs and the buildings to house them, Godly men and their families are roaming the land seeking sometimes in vain for the comparative pocket change with which to preach the Gospel in remote places. The incongruity of these things is both amazing and alarming. If brethren would simply learn to serve in humility—first Christ and His will, then one another—the aforementioned tragedies (and many others) would be avoided.
[Note: I wrote this article for and it was published in The Lighthouse, weekly bulletin of Northpoint Church of Christ, Denton, TX, May 13, 2007, of which I was editor.]
Attribution: From thescripturecache.com; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.
