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Spiritual Discipline #8: SERVICE

Taken from http://www.watersedge.tv/disciplines_servicesubmission.htm

Downward Mobility in an Upwardly Mobile World

Jesus taught that the way up is to go down. He taught his first disciples that the secret to becoming great is to become the servant of all. He illustrated his teaching by putting on the dress of a lowly house servant, and washed the grimy feet of his students. The discipline of service frees us from resentment. Paul wrote, "Whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17). In service we learn the secret that our significance is found in God. There is no hierarchy of values in service. Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. Whose service is more valuable: a preacher or the woman changing diapers in the nursery? When the woman changing diapers discovers her service is equally pleasing to God, her resentment vanishes.

The discipline of service frees us from the need to be in control. Richard Foster wrote, "When we choose to be a servant, we give up the right to be in charge." How foreign this idea is to us! We live in a culture that celebrates self-determination. I remember hearing a little girl tell her babysitter, "You're not the boss of me." That's a motto of our world. But in service, I allow others to become "the boss of me." We choose to make ourselves available, and in doing that we make ourselves vulnerable. We may be taken advantage of, but we do so willingly. It is the heart of what Jesus taught in Matthew 5:38-42.

The discipline of service frees us from arrogance. If the practice of service can free those in "low" positions from resentment, it can also free those in "high" positions of arrogance. It is easy for people in positions of influence to believe they are more important than others.

Someone tells the story of a time Mohammed Ali was traveling on an airplane. He refused to put on his seatbelt saying, "Superman doesn't need no seatbelt." To which the stewardess responded, "Superman doesn't need no airplane."  Whether you are a successful business person or a leader in the church, humble service, especially that done in secret, can free you from thinking yourself "more highly than you ought" (Romans 12:3).

Here are some guidelines for the practice service as a discipline.
1) Begin with a right orientation before God. Examine your heart and ask yourself if you are doing it to please God or to please people? Whatever you do, do it in the name of Jesus.
2) Whenever possible do your service in relative secrecy. Do not use deception to conceal your service, and don't be bothered if someone finds out.
3) Pay attention to your desires for recognition, appreciation, and admiration. Humility is about taking your mind off yourself and focusing on God. Meditate on Jesus words in Matthew 6:1-4.
4) Keep yourself open to serve anyone who you meet. Don't force yourself on someone, but don't refuse anyone any good deed.
5) Identify with people of low position. Look at people through God's eyes as someone who is in need just like you. Dallas Willard encourages us to see ourselves as "a particularly lively piece of clay who, as (a) servant of God, happens to be here and now with the ability to do this good and needful thing for that other bit of clay there."