Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Matthew 20:26-28 (NIV)

In God’s kingdom, the way up is down. We must humble ourselves before God and man to serve them. The more we serve, the greater we will become. As we serve, our pride dies, so God is able to lift us up and promote us. Servants are unselfish- it’s not about them, but about God and their fellow man.

A godly leader is one who serves others, setting a good example for others to follow. He puts others before himself. To be first in the kingdom, you must be last. Even Jesus said He did not come to be served, but to serve. Putting others first demonstrates Christ-likeness and love.

We cannot worry about being taken advantage of. As we serve, we must count everything that we give out as seed sown. Therefore, anything done for God with a right heart will be seen by Him, and we will receive a harvest. Of course, we don’t give just to get; we give because we love.

Servants see a need and meet it, just like Jesus did. He saw that we were dead in our sins and we needed saving, therefore He came as a Servant to the human race, giving His life for us. In serving, loving, teaching, and healing people, He went about doing good (Acts 10:38). His death became a seed from which many believers came. He was a seed that brought a harvest of souls. Living our lives for others can result in a harvest of souls for Jesus’ kingdom.

Jesus left heaven to bring us to heaven. He did whatever it took to save us; the Creator serving His creation. God raised Him up to the highest position, and He will raise us up to rule with Christ- now and forever. To be truly great, we must become the servant of all, just as Jesus did.