Steadfast, Immovable Servants
Sarah Didier Jefferson, Guest Writer
TODAY’S TREASURE
Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).
It had been a long week, like many over the years, juggling all the things with three kids under my feet while my husband traveled for work. His job has required him to travel for the majority of our marriage. While most days I have felt very capable and on top of things, others have left me feeling defeated and buried deep under the pile.
The road warrior life can be somewhat unforgiving for all involved. Dead tired, he would come home and drop his suitcase full of dirty clothes in the closet. Dead tired from the demands of life at home without him, that suitcase full of dirty clothes represented one more thing on my never-ending to-do list. If I’m being honest, that unpacked suitcase during that particular season was a source of resentment, something I selfishly felt was being done to me.
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself (1 Peter 4:10-11).
If we’re all being honest, serving has become somewhat of a curse word in today’s society. This me-and-mine, what-about-me world can make serving lose its luster. Yet as we study Jesus’ short life, we can’t help but see that He was in the business of serving others. But it isn’t a life we’re supposed to just study or even admire. 1 Corinthians 15:58 tells us we are to be:
Steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know your labor is not in vain.
Before I was all the things to all the people at home, I had a career in public relations in the sports industry. It was both exciting and fulfilling. However, it wasn’t long after I left my job to be at home that I realized I had allowed my title to define me in ways God never intended. While I yearned to be a wife and mother, the mundane tasks within left me thinking, “You know - I used to do important things.”
I once heard someone explain that following Jesus is never mundane. Based on the stories in Scripture and seasons in my own life, I respectfully disagree. It’s certainly never boring, but it often involves faithfulness in the unseen. The pages of Scripture are filled with people serving God behind the scenes, knee-deep in the ugly, day-to-day grit and grind. It is often not glamorous or even social media-worthy. Yet the call in Mark 9:35 remains— serve anyway:
And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last and servant of all.”
In Becoming Elizabeth Elliot, a journal entry details, “Oh, how I pray for conforming to the acceptable will of God. I do not want to miss one lesson. Yet I find that events do not change souls. It is our response to them which finally affects us.”
Over the years, being steadfast in following God wherever He leads has looked a lot like carefully obeying all He asks by way of serving others. Faithfully, He has renewed my mind and conformed my heart— including unpacking suitcases. If we allow Him to change our thinking, we will begin to see that each opportunity to serve the body of Christ is actually an invitation to know Jesus more fully while being conformed to the perfect will of God.
C.G. Moore says, “To take you to His end by the way that you know would profit you little. He chooses for you a way you know not, that you may be compelled into a thousand intercourses with Himself which make the journey forever memorable to Him and to you.”
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
As we each dive deeper into the stories of Scripture, may it challenge us to even pray for ways that we might better serve our family and those around us, allowing that service to be an expression not only of our love of God but also our love for one another. This doesn’t always make our work any easier, but it certainly gives it purpose. And when you’re tired or annoyed, or your work feels heavy and unseen, just tell Him. Friend, God sees. He knows. And through His word, He has already equipped us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17).
PRAYER
O Lord, would You do the work in our hearts today to make us steadfast, immovable servants like Your son Jesus? May our response be pleasing in Your sight, conforming us into the acceptable will of God. Make it so even this day, Lord God, we pray. Amen.
More free resources for help hope & healing:
Help & Hope podcasts is a friend stepping into the private pain of listeners, acting as a tourniquet to help stop the bleeding of a hemorrhaging heart. There are over 160 podcasts that cover a variety of topics. This week’s featured story is: Healing After Abortion with Lovette Vassar
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sarah Didier Jefferson is married to Curtis Jefferson and the mother to Grey, Sanders, and Collins. Before she was a mom, Sarah worked in public relations in the sports industry. Since having her children, Sarah has written web content for a variety of companies and ministries. She is an Atlanta native, but calls Franklin, Tennessee home. Sarah is a member of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Franklin, Tennessee. When she's not writing or blogging, Sarah enjoys running and hiking the trails of middle Tennessee and spending time with her busy family.
Readers can follow me on the following platforms: @sarahjeffersonwrites on Instagram and Facebook sarahjeffersonwrites.com
For more from Daily Treasure please visit MARKINC.ORG.
Originally published Wednesday, 24 May 2023.
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