He made Himself of no reputation.
Six times in Exodus 7-10 the Lord says, “let My people go that they may serve Me.” He wanted His people out of Egypt (the world) so that they would be free to serve their God. It is still the desire of our loving, heavenly Father that we serve the living God (Heb. 9:14b). When the disciples argued over which of them was the greatest, the Lord Jesus said, “For who is greater, he who sits at the table or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet, I am among you as the One who serves” (Lk. 22:27). Christ’s answer reminds us that, as Christians, our purpose is not to be those who sit at the table but to imitate the attitude of the Lord Himself and be those who serve.
What a perfect example we see in Him who, “ being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant” (Php. 2:6f). Imagine what it cost Him to lower Himself to the likeness of men! It drives us ask, “What am I willing to sacrifice in order to serve the living God?” His sacrifice was motivated by His desire to be obedient to the will of His Father. “He became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (v. 8). This example of obedience is one of the key motivating factors for us as we ask ourselves, “Why serve?”
Obedience
In Deuteronomy 13, there is a warning to Israel to watch out for prophets who would lead them astray to serve other gods. The Lord was testing them to know whether they loved Him with all their hearts and souls. Then, in verse 4, we read, “You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.” It is a simple truth that even my children understand. When they desire to obey me, it shows me that they love me. It is the same with our heavenly Father. If we truly love Him, we will keep His commandments (Jn. 14:15) and be among His people as those who serve.
Gratitude
Thankfulness is a great motivation for serving the living God! Has the Lord been good to you? Has He been good to those that you love? What good thing do you enjoy or have you ever enjoyed that is not ultimately from Him because of His goodness toward us? 1 Samuel 12:24 says, “…consider what great things He has done for you.” Perhaps this would be a good time to sit down with those you love, remember the goodness of God, give Him the praise and thankfulness He is so worthy of, and serve Him with renewed appreciation!
Gladness
Do you ever feel as if serving God’s people is a burden? Are there times where you feel as if nobody notices or appreciates what you are doing? Sometimes we need to stop and remind ourselves that we are serving Him! Psalm 100:2 tells us to “Serve the Lord with gladness!” There is joy in serving Him. We don’t seek praise from men. Rather, we look forward to the day when Christ will say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” No, it is not a burden to serve the Lord because “His commandments are not burdensome” (1 Jn. 5:3).
Remember the sons of Korah and the tragedy they brought upon themselves when they were ungrateful. What a mighty lesson they learned! How much better was their attitude in Psalm 84 when they said, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God then dwell in the tents of wickedness” (v. 10).
Forgiveness
Sometimes our guilt will make us feel like we need to do more for the Lord in an effort to repay Him. It is true that we must continue to serve Him even when we have sinned, but we are missing the truth of what He has accomplished on our behalf when we don’t fully accept His forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 tells us that, when we confess our sins, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” What a blessing to have a God of forgiveness who does not hold grudges against us!
Isaiah 6 gives us a beautiful picture when Isaiah sees the Lord on His throne, high and lifted up, with the train of His robe filling the temple. When he comes before the holiness of the Lord, Isaiah sees his own uncleanness and realizes that he is undone. But a coal is taken from the altar and touched to his lips; his iniquity is taken away, and his sin is purged. Then the Lord speaks to him and says, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Isaiah’s response? “Here am I, send me!” (Isaiah 6:6-8) We go forward in our service for the Lord not because of guilt, but because we have been forgiven and cleansed! Praise the Lord for a restored relationship and a clean conscience so that we can walk with Him and serve Him from a loving heart!
Love
All of these other motivations for service have been God-ward but notice that in Galatians 5:13b, the Scripture tells us, “through love, serve one another.” At times, we can be very eager to serve the Lord Jesus, perhaps thinking of the tremendous privilege of washing His feet. We can also be reluctant to serve one another and to wash each other’s feet. John 13 and this verse in Galatians serve as good reminders to carry on serving out of love for our brothers and sisters!
Service
Are you willing to ask the Lord about your service and what He might have you do? Are you willing to give up things in order to be of better service for Him? Whether in the home, at school, at work, or in the local assembly, let us press on to know and serve Him in greater ways.
Christians are gifted to serve, expected to serve, exhorted to serve, and should have a heart to reflect the beauty of the Lord Jesus by serving. Does your service become tiresome at times? Do not grow weary in doing good! Does your service cost you something? Think of the heart of David: “I will not give to the Lord that which costs me nothing.” Let us press on to serve and honor the living God in greater ways than we have so far!