To Be A Servant and Free
“You are not your own. Yet you want, desperately, be be your own. To stand, with authority, in my name, you must bend low. If you do this, all you do in my love will be blessed and you will be blessed.”
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“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love” (Galatians 5:3).
To be a servant. To be small. To be at your strongest—most beautiful and whole—we must bend low. We must strip away all pretension, all desire for people to herald us as a god. We are worth what we are worth, not through our own eyes or the eyes of the world, but through the One who defines love, who brings love, who creates and gives and is love.
Only through love–and showing love through lives dedicated to Christ–can we experience the freedom that comes through serving. Otherwise–when our selfishness keeps us self-focused rather than Jesus-focused–we are not even remotely equipped to exercise attitudes of service and love.
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In this Encounter, the Holy Spirit invites us to learn from him what it means to live a life dedicated to serving Jesus and pouring out his love moment by moment.
To help our hearts engage with God, let’s prepare our minds and bodies. To do this, find a quiet place to be undisturbed. Sometimes, it helps to develop a routine and go to the exact location each time–maybe a cozy room with a comfortable chair. Or, like me, the floor, where you can get low, sitting or kneeling (with perhaps a blanket over your shoulders), your journal spread out in front of you. Another part of your routine might be lighting a candle or playing soft instrumental music. Routines help provide our minds, bodies, and hearts the signals they need to draw our attention inward and deeper to the space within us that knows God and can more easily hear His voice.
Now that you have gotten comfortable, consider taking some slow, deep breaths–feeling the air move through your nose, into your lungs, and out through your nose or mouth. Listen to your breath. Listen to the air within you. Slow down. Keep breathing. Stay here for a few moments. Relax.
And then, as you continue to listen to your breathing, surrender your concerns to God. What is on your mind right now? What is heavy on your heart? Give to God each worry, fear, and desire.
Lord, I give you…
See Jesus’ eyes looking at you–and look into his eyes. See Him taking your worries from you. Stay here for a few moments to absorb the interaction between you and Jesus.
Take another deep breath. Then, get out your journal and transcribe what you are giving to Jesus and any words He speaks to your heart in response.
Lord, I hear you saying…
Now, consider your questions for Jesus, or listen for any questions he has for you.
How do you feel about what it means to have a servant’s heart? Are you curious about it? Do you have any skepticism or resistance about this idea?
Jesus, I am wondering…
Jesus, I am unsure about…
Jesus, I am feeling….
How do you define what it means to be a servant? In your journal, write or draw a picture of your definition. Also, consider where this image comes from. Your family? Friends? Books? Jesus? Scripture?
When I think of the word “servant,” this is the picture I see….
Next, spend time with Jesus as you read and contemplate the verses below.
When you read them, do so slowly and deeply. Consecrate your imagination to Jesus. (Jesus, I consecrate my imagination to you….I surrender it completely and trust you.) Let Him guide you in the scene, the situation, and the moments. Be there. And don’t rush. Let your heart experience what Jesus and the Holy Spirit are saying so that it fully absorbs the words and processes them deeply in your soul.
“When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them” (John 13: 12-17).
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:5-7).
As your heart absorbs these words, what is your reaction?
Next, discuss with Jesus your reaction to His words I heard in prayer for us (and shared at the very beginning of the Encounter):
“You are not your own. Yet you want, desperately, be be your own. To stand, with authority, in my name, you must bend low. If you do this, all you do in my love will be blessed and you will be blessed.”
And finally, conclude this time with Jesus by sharing with Him your heart’s response to Galatians 5:13:
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
See the image of you serving. How does this image feel like freedom? Tell Jesus about it–and write what He says in your journal.
Amen.
