“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”— Philippians 2:5-7 (NIV)
A guy comes into a church, says he wants to serve God and is available—what can he do? Once, when this happened at our church, the most pressing need at the moment was to sweep the front sidewalks before the evening service—they were a mess. The guy reluctantly took a broom, did a halfhearted job, thanked us for the “opportunity,” and left.
There was no intention to insult him, but he later admitted that his attitude was pretty unservant-like. “I was fuming,” he said. “I tell you guys I want to serve the Lord and someone hands me a broom. I’m thinking, I HIRE people to sweep my sidewalks…don’t they know who I am and how much I have contributed to the church? I just didn’t get it—until later when I began to understand the nature of Jesus.”
Picture Jesus as He lived, touching the lepers, the lame, the unlovely, healing the sick, and befriending the poor. Jesus dined with sinners, ministered to prostitutes, and was surrounded by clamoring throngs of people who wanted to touch the hem of His garment. Jesus walked amongst humanity, not afraid to “get dirty” or to pour love into their lives. God loves us, woos us, and pursues us. This was part of His great pursuit—denying Himself the power of the Godhead, the glory of heaven, and becoming one of us. He denied Himself to love us so that we can deny ourselves to love Him back and, in turn, love others.
“We can do little things for God: I turn the cake that is frying on the pan, for love of Him; and that done, if there is nothing else to call me, I prostrate myself in worship before Him who has given me grace to work; afterward I rise happier than a king.” —Brother Lawrence
