What I read today
Deuteronomy 9-10; Psalm 81; Jeremiah 15; John 13; 2 Timothy 2
What does it mean to be a servant?
I work in an industry of quiet servants. People handling human waste for a living to protect the health and sanitation of an entire community. I’ve done this nearly all my adult life. Yet most in the communities they serve have no idea who they are. If they do their job well, they are almost unknown. But without the men and women who do this dirty job, there would be outbreaks of typhoid, cholera and other waterborne diseases.
This runs counter to what most seek out today in their professions and personal lives. We have companies with Rock Star serving as CEO. We have a reality TV star as President today. His predecessor was such a gifted speaker that after one speech in 2004 he was catapulted to the presidency in 2008.
Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have turned people into attention seeking people trying to earn fame and fortune.
Yet in Jerusalem, we see the Lord of life washing the disciples’ feet. Giving them a lesson on what it meant to be a faithful follower of Jesus. Not seeking out fame and fortune as some do. But humbly and quietly reaching out to a hurting world with the Gospel. Serving the poor and needy. Taking care of the sick and elderly. This was Jesus message.
We seem to have forgotten what it truly means to be a servant today, haven’t we?