The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Jesus declares that true greatness is found in becoming a servant and serving the people in your life. Human nature tends to want to gain attention to satisfy pride and ego needs. But when we enter into a relationship with Jesus, He is the one who created us and He is the one who can speak into our lives words that will build us and assure us of our value before Him.

God has called every one of us to be servants. We serve our Lord as we serve the people He has placed in our lives. There are so many practical ways to serve, but it is all with the intent of introducing people to the reality of Jesus in us, and loving people so fully that we inspire them to respond to Jesus and live lives of devotion and discipleship to Him.

These words from Jesus inspire me to be a servant to the people in my life these days. I want to effectively serve my wife and family so that they will always be devoted to our Lord. My hope is that they will see Jesus in me and know that the best possible life they could live is to live for Jesus wholeheartedly. The same is true for the people I pastor – I desire that they see the authenticity of Christ in me – in my words, my actions and the way that I care for them.

I am also drawn to keep looking for ways to have a personal touch in the lives of my friends and neighbors who have yet to respond to Jesus as their Savior. In this holiday season, I am reminded that though many do not see any need for God in their lives, the truth is: everybody needs a Savior. I am inspired to be a servant so that people will see that Jesus came to serve and die for them.

Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding me today about the importance of having a servant’s heart. Help me to be a servant all of my days. I ask You, Lord Jesus to come and touch me with your compassion so that I can give away your love wholeheartedly. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me to serve the people you’ve given me to serve. I want to be an effective witness and example of your serving love. I set my heart to do that this day and every day.