President’s Blog – November 2, 2009 – WANTED:SERVANT
WANTED: SERVANT
November 2, 2009
Bible Basics International is saying goodbye this week to a great friend and a wonderful Christian servant. Joe Brittingham has served at our headquarters in a quiet and faithful manner for several years. He showed up on Mondays without any fanfare, began pulling weeds, watering plants and caring for the grounds of the mission as if he was doing it in his own yard. Many people comment on how nice our facility looks. In a large part, we have Joe to thank. It will be hard to replace him. It’s almost as hard to communicate our thanks to him. Everybody who knows him figured out that he wasn’t doing it for the rewards or for the applause. He did it for the glory of God and the furtherance of God’s kingdom. Our thanks are small compared to the reward that true servants will receive when they stand before the Lord and hear the words that speak most to a faithful Christian servant, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Jesus talked a lot about being a servant. Maybe it was because his disciples seemed so enamored with being leaders that they didn’t really want to learn about being servants.
SERVING is GIVING
In Matthew 20:28, when the pushy disciples were busy arguing about who deserved the most prestigious places in the kingdom, Jesus described his own life by two words that should characterize any follower of Jesus. He said that He had come to “SERVE” and to “GIVE”, not to lead and to receive.
. . .but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 “And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave – 28 “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”[1]
SERVING is HUMBLING YOURSELF
In John 13, the night before his crucifixion, the disciples failed again to be willing to stoop to serving each other, when no one humbled themselves enough to wash the feet of the others in the room. Jesus took up the towel and began to wash all of the disciples’ dirty, stinky feet. I am sure they were wishing they had paid someone to do the job, or that one of the lower disciples had done it. They were probably horrified that Jesus got stuck doing it. The leader shouldn’t have to do menial jobs. It was obviously beneath him. So, Jesus reminded them,
14“If I then, 
your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 “For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.[2]
The example is not about feet, it’s about attitude. If you see yourself as better than others or more important than others or even too valuable to do what a “lower” person should be doing, you will not be imitating Jesus example of servanthood.
SERVING is NOT EXPECTING A REWARD
In case we start to think that being a servant should have its hidden perks, Jesus gave us a glimpse of a servant’s role. He explained that a servant takes care of everything that his master needs before considering his own needs and comfort. A servant doesn’t wait for or even expect thanks for doing what he was supposed to do. And, when all is said and done, his one satisfaction is to know that he accomplished what the master had desired.
7 “And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? 8 “But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 “Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. 10 “So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ “[3]
SERVING WITH ALL YOUR HEART FOR THE GLORY OF GOD
Paul commanded servants to serve God and not men.
22 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. 23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.[4]
It would be easy to only do what is expected; to try to get by with as little as possible. At some point, we al
l fudge a little bit, knowing that half-hearted effort will still get us the paycheck or the thanks from the unsuspecting people who may never figure out that we could have done better if we had done it with all our hearts. That only works when your eyes are on men. God’s glory is a much higher standard than men’s applause. Our level of excellence changes when we realize that our entire life is supposed to be lived for an audience of one. If our number one priority is God’s glory, we will always try to do our best. In that way, the only reward that really matters, is what God thinks of what we have done.
Obviously, some people have mastered the art of serving better than others. There are times when some of us need to wash feet and others need to let our feet be washed. But, don’t you wish that more people (especially myself) would just humble themselves, throw on a towel, and do what Jesus would have done without waiting to be asked and without expecting to be rewarded, and do the best job they are capable of doing.
We need a lot more Joe Brittinghams in this world. But that is really because Joe has been following the example of Jesus in giving of himself as a servant without expecting anything in return. We need more people to be a servant like Jesus.
I speak for the family of BBI when I say, “Thanks, Joe, for being a servant like Jesus.” I know you don’t want to be singled out and have the spotlight shone on you. Sorry to put you through the “embarrassment of saying thank you publicly. There are other servants around BBI who deserve the same recognition I am giving you. Still, I really want to be there one day to applaud you when Jesus says, “Well done, Joe, good and faithful servant. You did what the master wanted and you did it with all your heart
[1] Matthew 20:26-28
[2] John 13:14-15
[3] Luke 17:7-10
[4] Colossians 3:22-23
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