The Lowliest Servant

0
419
The Lowliest Servant
by Joni Eareckson Tada
Dear Dewey,
“But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry.” 
 Matthew 3:11
In the days of John the Baptist, rich households employed various levels of servants for different responsibilities around the home. Yes, there was even a servant who had the lackluster job of untying a guest’s sandals and carrying them aside.
John the Baptist couldn’t think of a better way to humble himself before the Lord than to say that he would carry his Savior’s sandals. To him, it was a vocation of humility.
But Jesus demonstrated a more amazing model of humility when He placed Himself lower than even a sandal-carrying slave. Jesus not only untied the sandals of his disciples and placed them to the side, but He went further and washed their dirty feet — a responsibility of the lowest servant on the household totem pole.
John the Baptist extolled the power and greatness of the Lord Jesus. But Jesus was the One who glorified His power by divesting Himself of it in order to wipe clean the filthy feet of common men. And in so doing, Jesus showed us what power there is in sacrificial love and humble service.
A job description for a lowly servant can be found in Philippians 2:3-4, which says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others.”
How appropriate that a couple of verses later we are told that Jesus took on this job description, made Himself nothing, and became a servant. Your attitude today should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.
Lord, I want to be Your servant. May I serve others today as You would, always considering my brothers and sisters as better than myself. Give me Your servant’s heart, please.
Blessings,
Joni and Friends
 
 
Taken from Diamonds in the Dust
Copyright © 1993
By Joni Eareckson Tada
Published in Print by Zondervan, Grand Rapids
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version.
Now Available
The Beyond Suffering Bible was carefully crafted by our team at Joni and Friends in partnership with Tyndale House Publishers to specifically address the needs of people affected by disability and those facing chronic conditions. We invite you to help us put the Beyond Suffering Bible into the hands of people who greatly need God’s infinite hope.
Joni and Friends | 818-707-5664| Email | Website
STAY CONNECTED:
 Like us on Facebook  Follow us on Twitter  View our profile on LinkedIn  Find us on Google+  Find us on Pinterest  View our videos on YouTube  Visit our blog  View on Instagram
Joni and Friends, P.O. Box 3333, Agoura Hills, CA 91376

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.