Lord, I must ask myself often, “Am I a servant in word or in deed?” I am reminded of Jacob, who addressed himself before his brother, Esau, as “your servant” (Genesis 32:18). But that was a servantship of fear; therefore, it was in name only. I must be careful not to call myself a servant, but to be a servant. It was only after the Jabbok experience, when Jacob wrestled with God, that he became a true servant (Genesis 33:5). Lord, let me never fail to have a Jabbok experience; otherwise my servantship becomes hollow.
Uriah Heep called himself “Your humble Servant,” but he was anything but. I must be careful not to give out titles about myself, but rather to give out the content of the titles. A preacher’s son once said, “When I grow up I’m going to become a preacher so I can tell people what to do!” He wanted the office of servant without the function. But many Christians—I am included—are just as childish! We love to be thought humble, servantlike, and helpful without having to go through the discipline of becoming like that.
There is only one way to become a servant, or slave, as the Bible describes it: by relinquishing. A slave has no rights, owns no property, is completely controlled by his master. The moment I pretend to be someone or lay claim to something, I cease to be a servant. Even my claim to salvation is through Another. I cannot become an acceptable servant until I have experienced the self-denial of Philippians 2:5–8, and I cannot experience that until I am willing to follow the One who denied Himself everything in order to give us everything. The aftermath of servantship is honor and glory (Philippians 2:9–11; 2 Timothy 2:12), and God longs to see me through to the finish.
“But that with all boldness, Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:20–21).
Daily with the King 