The Determination To Serve

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve . . .—Matthew 20:28

Jesus also said, “Yet I am among you as the One who serves” (Luke 22:27). Paul’s idea of service was the same as our Lord’s— “. . . ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5). We somehow have the idea that a person called to the ministry is called to be different and above other people. But according to Jesus Christ, he is called to be a “doormat” for others— called to be their spiritual leader, but never their superior. Paul said, “I know how to be abased . . .” (Philippians 4:12). Paul’s idea of service was to pour his life out to the last drop for others. And whether he received praise or blame made no difference. As long as there was one human being who did not know Jesus, Paul felt a debt of service to that person until he did come to know Him. But the chief motivation behind Paul’s service was not love for others but love for his Lord. If our devotion is to the cause of humanity, we will be quickly defeated and broken-hearted, since we will often be confronted with a great deal of ingratitude from other people. But if we are motivated by our love for God, no amount of ingratitude will be able to hinder us from serving one another.

Paul’s understanding of how Christ had dealt with him is the secret behind his determination to serve others. “I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man . . .” (1 Timothy 1:13). In other words, no matter how badly others may have treated Paul, they could never have treated him with the same degree of spite and hatred with which he had treated Jesus Christ. Once we realize that Jesus has served us even to the depths of our meagerness, our selfishness, and our sin, nothing we encounter from others will be able to exhaust our determination to serve others for His sake.

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事奉的決心

人子來，不是要受人的服侍，乃是要服侍人。 （太二十28）

保羅對事奉的觀念與主一樣：[我在你們中間作服侍的，像他一樣。 ][我們為基督的緣故作你們的僕人。 ]我們常以為一個蒙召作傳道的人，是被召成為與眾不同的人。對於耶穌基督，他被召的是別人門前的地毯；做他們的屬靈領袖，卻絕不是他們的上司。保羅說:[我曉得怎樣處卑賤。 ]

保羅對事奉的觀念是這樣：[我為你們耗盡了最後一分力量，你儘管稱讚我，或是指責我，一點也沒有關係。 ]只要有一個人尚未認識耶穌基督，保羅就是欠他的債，要服侍他直到認識主。保羅事奉的根源不是愛人，乃是愛主。我們若獻身人類的幸福努力，很快就會心碎而倒退，因為人忘恩負義，比狗更加厲害。但若動機是出於愛神，那麼怎樣冷酷無情也不能阻攔我們的服侍。

保羅體會耶穌基督怎樣對待他，就成為他決意服侍人的秘訣。 [我從前是褻瀆神的，逼迫人的，侮慢人的。 ]——不論人怎樣對待我，也絕對比不上我昔日怎樣以惡毒來對待耶穌基督。我們一旦體會耶穌基督怎樣為我們的卑鄙、自私、罪惡服侍到底，那麼，不論別人怎樣待我們，也不能改變我們衛士服侍人的決心。

祈禱◆主啊，你僕人的說話，正好標明我內心深切的禱告——我的神，我仰賴你的恩賜，好像我不能從任何人身上尋見，或在人內心的幻想或構思中出現。