ARE YOU BEING SERVED?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to
wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am
doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “you shall
never wash my feet. Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have
no part with me.”
(John 13:6-8)

MEDITATION:
Would you say that we live in a selfish or unselfish world? Do you find
that others are more concerned about themselves than they are about
others? Are others too busy with their own affairs to take the time to
see if you have needs (not material needs, but emotional needs and
personal concerns)? Does it appear than most everyone seems to be
born to be served, and not to serve?

There is a key phrase from Jesus in the scriptures above:
“You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
The disciples had given up a lot in order to participate with Jesus in His
ministry. They were diligent and committed to working with Him to reach
out to others. Sounds like they were doing a good thing, and they were,
but apparently Simon Peter had missed out on at least one important
element of following Jesus.

It seems that Peter understood what was involved in being on the ministry
team of Jesus. Just being with Him could have given Peter a feeling of
superiority around others. Of course he could tell others of the importance
of salvation (the Good News), but could he take the time to listen to the
concerns of individuals? He may have been good at speaking to many people,
but could he speak to an individual in need?

We can see that after Jesus was resurrected, Peter did understand the
importance of being more than just a spokesman to others. He began to
see others from the perspective of Jesus.
    One day Peter and John were going up to the temple
    at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now
    a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the
    temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day
    to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he
    saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.
    Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said,
    “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting
    to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold
    I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of
    Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” (Acts 3:1-6)

Peter didn’t just consider the man as just another beggar and stroll past
him. He stopped and listened to the man, then he gave him some valuable
information. Peter knew that this beggar needed a relationship with Jesus,
but he also recognized that he had some personal needs (to be able to walk).

Peter also learned that whenever he served Jesus, not everyone would be
receptive to his efforts.
    The priests and the captain of the temple guard and
    the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they
    were speaking to the people. They were greatly
    disturbed because the apostles were teaching the
    people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the
    dead. They seized Peter and John and, because it was
    evening, they put them in jail until the next day.
    (Acts 4:1-3)

When Jesus explained to Peter that he did not understand some things at
that time, He was preparing Peter to become a servant not only for Jesus,
but for others. He also knew it was important for Peter to realize that serving
Jesus could have unexpected complications. More than likely Jesus was also
preparing Peter for His crucifixion, so he would understand that he must stay
the course regardless of the consequences of his efforts.

We can learn several things from God’s Word:
    – We need to be saved and have a relationship with the Lord.
    – Being saved means we become part of the ministry team of Jesus.
    – God has specific individual tasks that He expects each of us
      to work on as we serve Him.
    – Being a servant of the Lord means we are also servants of others.
    – We aren’t saved to be served, but to serve
      in whatever capacity the Lord has chosen for us.
    – Serving the Lord doesn’t mean everyone
      will be receptive to our concerns for them.
    – We need to stay the course when serving the Lord and not
      be swayed or influenced by the things or people of the world
      that can cause us to stray from what pleases God.

ACTION:
How do you feel about serving the Lord? Are there any “things” that
make you apprehensive about serving Him? Do you know what your
spiritual is? God gives His people at least one spiritual gift that equips
us for serving Him. It might be in some area we never expected. More
than likely it is so that we will know that we need to depend on Him as
we serve (which prevents us from becoming independent and trying to
do everything in our own strength, which could lead to feeding our ego).

Do you have at least one person in your life who will listen and respond
when you need them? Are there others who can depend on you to listen
to them and their concerns? Serving the Lord includes serving others;
do you have the attitude of a servant, or to you feel others should serve
you?

When you have needs, can you set them aside temporarily when you know
someone else needs you? Are you able to put their needs ahead of your own?
Do you enjoy lifting the spirits of others and encouraging them when they
are down?

How good of a listener are you? If someone needs your advice, wait until
they ask you; don’t feel that the best way to help them is to do all the
talking; sometimes others just need a trusted friend to listen to them.

Pray,
    “Heavenly Father, my desire is to be more like Jesus. Help me
     to understand what I need to do to be more like Him. Your Word
     tells me that I need to be more concerned about serving than I am
     about being served. I know that when I am more focused on the
     needs of others, I will become less selfish and self-centered. Help
     me to ‘stay the course’ of serving You during the times when I am
     discouraged. I trust You to be my encourager at all times, and
     especially when others are unavailable or unconcerned. Thank
     You Jesus for establishing the model for us to follow as children
     of God.”